Japan Contemporaries Series 11 | Juried Open Call
THE ART OF SHO
Curated by Motoichi Adachi and Kyoko Sato
Organized by Art Incubation Association of Japan
Tenri Cultural Institute
43A W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | (212) 645-2800
November 5-12, 2024 (Closed on Nov 8,10,11)
Reception and Performance: Thursday, November 7, 7-9pm

Artists:
[First Runner-Up] Koho KURIHARA | KURIHARA GOYOU | Seiho Kurihara |
YUMI AKIYAMA
[Second Runner-Up] AKANE KIMURA | ASAKO YAMAKAWA | Calligrapher Shiryu | KEISHIN AKAZAWA | Laisai | Maya Ito
| Shuuka | SOGETSU | SOUSHU MATSUMOTO | YUKEI
[Honorable Mention] GENRYUIN | KOTORA | MICOTO | Miracle Mico | Yamato
[Guests | NY Front Runners] Anisuzzaman | Michael lam | Richard Ford III | Seongmin Ahn | Shelter Serra
The new series exhibition “Art of Sho” is the 11th installment of a series of exhibitions organized by Emmy Award winning TV writer Motoichi Adachi and New York-based curator Kyoko Sato, known for introducing Japanese culture. The exhibition focuses on the theme of “Sho” (Japanese calligraphy) and features works by artists selected through an open call and review process. This series highlights interesting works by artists mainly active in Japan, regardless of genre or background, introducing them to the cutting-edge global art scene. It also includes guest exhibitions by leading figures based in New York who are active worldwide, facilitating effective exchanges and mutual inspiration.
The exhibition series has continued since last year with “Stepping Into A World IV” (Series 10, Gallery Max, New York, featuring 34 Japanese artists), as well as the more casual “Japan Contemporaries” (Series 12, Gallery 60NYC, featuring 4 Japanese artists and concurrently hosting the “Well-Being Exhibition” to support underprivileged children in Southeast Asia), and “100 Artists of the World” (Series 13, showcasing 14 artists on the large screen in Times Square, 3 Times Square). Together, these four projects will create a wave of Japanese art in New York this fall.
The judges for the open call were Dr. Les Joynes (Columbia University Research Scholar, Curator), Motoichi Adachi (Emmy Award-winning TV writer), and Kyoko Sato (NY Curator). In this series, up until the 9th installment in July 2024, we have already introduced 124 Japanese artists. Furthermore, over 9 of these artists have since been represented by galleries in New York. This autumn, we plan to introduce an additional 62 artists, bringing many more outstanding Japanese artists into the New York art scene.
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“I approach the art world with the same mindset that I’ve used for many years in the Japanese TV industry. I want to bring a fresh breeze of free-spirited ideas into a world that values long-standing traditions. Even if someone didn’t graduate from a famous art school or isn’t backed by a powerful gallery, a beautiful work is beautiful, and an interesting piece is interesting. I want to see captivating artists make a bold impact on the world stage. This time, I’m taking on that unconventional challenge.” — Motoichi Adachi
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In 2021, the Agency for Cultural Affairs registered “Shodo” (Japanese calligraphy) as an Intangible Cultural Property. However, a survey conducted by the Agency in 2020 revealed that, due to changes in lifestyle, opportunities for Japanese people to write characters with a brush have become extremely rare, as have opportunities to appreciate calligraphy.
Shodo is the art of writing characters, primarily using a brush and ink, usually on paper. It is said that kanji characters were introduced to Japan from China in the 5th century, along with the study of calligraphy techniques. While it is necessary to preserve and pass down this art and skill steeped in history, it is interesting to note that new styles have been developed to suit the times.
From the Muromachi period onward, the tea ceremony gained prominence, and calligraphy scrolls, known as “bokuseki” ink traces) written by Zen monks, began to be used at tea gatherings. Additionally, in the Heian period around 900 AD, hiragana was created, and by the mid-Heian period, a uniquely Japanese calligraphy style known as “wayō” emerged. During this period, waka poetry flourished, and kana calligraphy techniques such as “chirashi-gaki” (scattered writing) and “renmen” (continuous writing) were developed.
During the Edo period, when Japan was largely isolated from the world, the country’s unique culture flourished, and new forms of calligraphy emerged. In the early Edo period, the “Three Calligraphy Masters of the Kan’ei Era” – Konoe Nobutada, Hon’ami Kōetsu, and Shōkadō Shōjō – made significant contributions. In the mid-Edo period, well-known figures like Mori Yūzan, Konoe Iehiro, Katō Chikage, and Ike no Taiga appeared. In the modern era, influenced by Western ideas, museums and galleries were established, and calligraphy began to be exhibited in such venues. Calligraphy associations formed by calligraphers became central to preserving traditional Shodo today.
Because Shodo is a cultural form with a rich tradition that has been accumulated and passed down, the government recognized its value by registering it as an Intangible Cultural Property. Looking back at history, we see that innovative expressions have emerged over time, so I’d like to reflect on what “Sho” might look like in our current era. At the New York “The Art of Sho” exhibition, we will showcase works that freely express calligraphy as a culture that resonates with our modern society, which is shaped by cutting-edge technologies like AI and the global context, while honoring the traditional “wayō” style unique to Japan.
The exhibition will feature the work of Keishin Akazawa, who was awarded second runner-up in the open call and created the title calligraphy for the film Hakkenden starring Koji Yakusho, set to be released in October 2024. Broadly speaking, calligraphy can be interpreted as the artistic expression of words and characters. From a Western perspective, particularly in the context of American art, graffiti could be seen as a Western form of calligraphy. With that in mind, artists active in New York will also present their innovative “Sho” works. — Kyoko Sato
Agency for Cultural Affairs. (2021). Registration of Shodo as an Intangible Cultural Property. Agency for Cultural Affairs.
https://www.bunka.go.jp/prmagazine/rensai/news/news_004.html
Koho KURIHARA/Gazing (瞠目)/2016/Sumi-ink on canvas/157.4×39.4 in. | 400×100 cm set/$10,000 KURIHARA GOYOU /Self Portrait/2024/Sumi-ink on paper/52.8×28.4 in. | 134×72 cm/$5,500 Seiho Kurihara /Tears and a mole/2024/Black ink on paper and panel/27.2×26.8 in. | 69×68 cm/$35,000 YUMI AKIYAMA/Glimmers escaping from the darkness/2024/Giclee on Japanese paper/21×17 in. | 52.5×43.5 cm/1,600 AKANE KIMURA/Any roots are connected to each other/2024/Mixed media, japanese ink on paper, digitally process, collage japanese paper on wood panel/11.8×15.7×4.7 in. | 30x40x12 cm/$8,000 ASAKO YAMAKAWA/Japanese sparklers (光)/2024/Sumi ink/53.5×13.6 in. | 136×34.5 cm/$7,000 ASAKO YAMAKAWA/water (水)/2024/Sumi-ink, resin-mixed pigment/53.5×13.6 in. | 136×34.5 cm/$7,000 “Calligrapher Shiryu/UNLIMITED: words, shapes, meanings, Beyond everything, everything here/2024/Black ink on mulberry paper /16.4×12.3 in. | 41.5×31.0 cm/$33,333” KEISHIN AKAZAWA/Konohanasakuya hime (木花咲耶姫)/2024/Sumi ink, colored sumi ink on gasenshi paper/78.7×28.7 in. | 200×73 cm/$20118.7 Laisai/instinct/2024/Sumi ink/ 17.9×20.9 in. | 45.5×53 cm/$1250 Maya Ito/A Dragon on Clouds: great person whose talent is hidden under a bushel (飛龍乗雲)/2024/Sumi-ink/72.8×32.2 in. | 185×82 cm/$3,500 Shuuka/Now that it is no longer snowing, the burning of the Kagorohi has become the springtime. Manyoshu, Vol. 10, 1835 ()今更に雪降らめやもかぎろひの燃ゆる春べとなりにしものを 「万葉集 第10巻1835」)/2024/18.5×15.4 in. | 47×39.2 cm/$1,200 SOGETSU/Becoming a Dragon (龍)/2024/Mop, hair, ink on paper/131×51.5 in. | 333×131 cm/$2,400 SOUSHU MATSUMOTO/ONENESS・・PIECE OF DREAMS/2024/Sumi-ink on canvas/23.6×31.5×1.2 in. | 60x80x3 cm/$30,000 YUKEI/INORI (祈・愛)/2024/Sumi ink on washi paper/139.7×381 in. | 55×150 cm/$20,000 GENRYUIN/Celebrate A Long Life/2024/Calligraphy ink on Xuan paper/ 112.2×27.6 in. | 285×70 cm/$6,400 KOTORA/U-Ta (Sing a song written with ancient Japanese characters)/2024/Mixed media on paper/ 53.9×27.6 in. | 137×70 cm/Price on request KOTORA/A-RiーGaーToーU (thank you, written with ancient Japanese characters)/2024/Mixed media on paper/25.2×37.8 in. | 64×96 cm/$20,000 KOTORA/Ki-Mi-GaーYo (Japanese National Anthem, written with ancient Japanese characters)/2024/Mixed media on paper/ 27.6×53.9 in. | 70×137 cm/Price on request MICOTO/Descent of the Dragon God: Spiritual Art/2024/Sumi-Ink, Acrylic on Canvas/20.9 x17.9 in. | 53.0 x45.5 cm/$2,200 MICOTO/Dragon God Dance (龍舞): Energy Art/2024/Sumi-Ink, Acrylic on canvas/ 40.5×28.7 in. | 103×72.9 cm/$4,200 Miracle Mico/The universe (宇宙)/2024/Sumi-ink, gold paint on paper/ 14×14 in. | 35.5×35.5 cm/$8,888 Yamato/Spirit/2024/ Acrylic, Sumi-ink, glazing and enlivening agents on paper/13.1×13.1 in. | 33.3×33.3 cm/$12,000 Yamato/TOKI/2024/Sumi-ink, gold-ink, acrylic on shikishi paper/15.9×12.4 in. | 40.5×31.5 cm/$12,000 Anisuzzaman/Embrace Friendship/2021/Woodcut print on paper/11.8×19.6 in. | 30×50 cm/$1,500 Michal Lam/TAO/2021/Acrylic on paper/ 22×30 in. | 55.8×76.2 cm Richard ford Ⅲ/FORTISM 110124/2024/Mixed media on canvas/36×12 in. | 91.4×30.4 cm/$700 Seongmin Ahn/Ornamented Curse_GOFUCKAWAY_01/2021/Ink and color on mulberry paper/ 36×72 in. | 91.4×182.8 cm/$16,500 Seongmin Ahn/Ornamented CurseFUCK/Glass/$29 Shelter Serra/Welcome/2020/Ink on canvas/45.7×76.2 cm|18×30 in/$4,800
Japan Contemporaries Series 13 | Juried Open Call
Stepping Into Times Square
100 ARTISTS OF THE WORLD
Curated by Motoichi Adachi and Kyoko Sato
Presented by Vision Art Media
Screen @ 3 Times Square, New York, NY, 10036
November 6, 2024, 8-9pm
Artists:
Calligrapher Shiryu, Eri Saito, Hiromi Aoki, Kyoko
Hirose, Kyon, Maya Ito, Micoto, Nagiho, Sea
Shibahara, Seiho Kurihara, Shuuka, Urara Haruka,
Valshia, Yukei
On the large screen at the center of Times Square,
14 selected artists who passed the juries’ review will
appear, exciting visitors from around the world.

