Opening Preview Night Report: SOFA NY 2010

This blog will be updated throughout the fair to find beauty and answer the question which art is being sold at this year’s SOFA New York ? This first edition will report last night’s VIP preview party and introduce the high-light exhibit by New York’s gallery gen.

In their fifth year at SOFA New York, gallery gen was relocated to center stage with a grand view of the massive new work by Yoshiaki Yuki being shown for the first time in New York. Contrasting to these giant reversible twelve-panel screens were his latest works on clay and silver; 46pcs of hand carved tea bowls “stone” which he said he prepared specially for this exhibit. They are just like the first flowers of Spring just waiting to be picked ~ ($95.00/pc)

Many of New Yorks top architects and designers could be seen, immediately reacting to these sculptural screens; their dynamic design for one, but also their unique functional aspect. The artist aimed to achieve a screen which would act to uneven the so often cubic look to the home environment - said Yoshiaki Yuki, who is currently in Kyoto for his current solo exhibition ($10,000). The abstract images representing “regression” (kai-ki) are symbols of the sun and the moon which returns to the sky day in/night out, but still shines our lives with subtle new experiences each time.

Just returning from his exhibit at the Institute of Textile and Clothing in Hong Kong, the fiber art magician Jun-ichi Arai also prepared several new pieces for the show. These includes his classic crush textiles in Black (SOLD) and his more recent Transperancy and Reflection series with the crinkled Gold wall hangings; their half tranparent design making them look almost like glass ($1800). His collaborative work with artist Yoshiaki Yuki of two wall hanging surcoats are also here at SOFA. Inspired by the 16th century battle surcoats jinba-ori worn by the Fuedal Samurai Lords, the purple-black and silver is crested with Yuki’s “enjoyemnt” (Raku), and the gold with “beauty”(Bi) ($2600/pc).

gallery gen has also selected smaller but nonetheless wonderful picks of contemporary Japanese ceramics could also be found at gallery gen’s exhibit. The 37year old Hajime Tamura had two works of porcelain; the white hakuji vessel had a coarse mat finish almost as if clay, but still maintaining the sharp quality of the porcelain clay ($500). Goro Suzuki, the only artist in our time who is able to recreate true 16th century Oribe had his Kuro Oribe Bowl with his signiture squiggled sketch of crows ($11,000). An animal like creature by Masayuki Yamashita is a wood fired ceramic from Yakushima, the island off the tip of southern Japan; a sculpture which has a function as a sake pitcher ($110).

Screens by Bokuma

Left: "Moon and Cherry Blossoms" Right: "Immortal Cranes"

Outside gallery gen booth, the SOFA show offers many fine standing and wall-hanging sculptures, clay seeming to gain a growing popularity. In the following days, we will walk through the SOFA exhibit to select other fine works of art by dealers and see what has been sold.

General Admission Hours
Fri. & Sat., April 16 - 17 11am - 7pm
Sun, April 18 Noon - 6pm
Mon., April 19 11am - 5pm

Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue at 67th Street

New York, NY 10021


For further information, please contact gallery gen:
718- 392-7717
info@gallerygen.com
www.gallerygen.com


SOFA NY Website
http://www.sofaexpo.com