Sponsored Saori Kanda on exhibiting Art Basel in Maimi, her philosophy of Self Love and shinto rituals. Saori opens up about a transformative year, how self love is not selfish and how she incorporates nature that’s embodied in shinto tradition into her art. By Japan Contemporaries, November 29, 2024 Saori Kanda, a “Dancing Painter” based…

Update From Wajima Just as Japan’s Noto Peninsula began recovering from a New Year’s earthquake and tsunami, catastrophic floods now threaten its centuries-old lacquerware industry. Can it survive? By Jake Price Photos & reporting by Shuto Isobe November 13, 2024 As previously reported in Japan Contemporaries, the town of Wajima in Noto Prefecture suffered extensive…

The artist discusses his first solo show in New York, how leaving his desk job was the best decision he ever made, and how art can transcend borders and bring people together.

Sponsored Dekanta Mono No Aware, Anniversary World Blend 2024 by dekantā —the most international whisky. The renowned artisanal label has enlisted emerging artist Richard Ford III to infuse his creative vision into their exclusive small-batch whisky. In 1859 Thomas Blake Glover (1838-1911), a Scottish merchant, arrived in Nagasaki, Japan, just five years after the country…

As climate change impacts the growth of urushi trees and the number of skilled artisans declines, initiatives are being launched to safeguard this unique cultural heritage while adapting to a rapidly changing world.

Reflecting on a month of artistic contributions of Japanese and Asian artists in New York to foster dialogue and mutual respect.

Hitoshi Fugo: KAMI at Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery  By Jonathan Goodman, May 3, 2024 Now in his late seventies, Hitoshi Fugo is showing a body of work conceived and created some time ago: a suite of eleven black-and-white images, taken from the total of 31 photos that make up his project KAMI, which means paper and…

Kikuo Saito: Color Codes at James Fuentes Gallery By Jonathan Goodman, April 20, 2024 Kikuo Saito(1939-2016) left Tokyo for New York in 1966, at the age of 26. He established himself downtown, only six blocks away from the present home of the Fuentes gallery on White Street, Tribeca, Manhattan, where his work is now on…

Interview with Mira Nakashima We speak with the renowned architect and furniture maker about the transcendent nature of craft, her early years growing up in the Minidoka concentration camp and how questioning authority led to the continued success of Nakashima Woodworkers. By Kyoko Sato & Jake Price, April 17, 2024 Following the release of The Nakashima Process…

Loft Generation: Painting in New York 1960s-80s, Featuring Naoto Nakagawa at the Eric Firestone Gallery By Jonathan Goodman, April 11, 2024  “Loft Generation,” an excellent show, presents a recent time, when the city’s downtown offered space and freedom to experiment. The exhibition begins at a time when New York was in steep decline and ends…

A Hidden Journey of Friendship: Shigeru Izumi’s New York Paintings, 1959-1962 By Kyoko Sato, February 19, 2024 The exhibition “Entrusted: New York Paintings, 1959-1962” unveils the captivating story of Shigeru Izumi (1922-1995), a Japanese artist whose work from his New York period (1959-1962) lay hidden in a friend’s storage for six decades. Now, seven of…

Tadanori Yokoo: All or Nothing at albertz benda By Jonathan Goodman, February 9, 2024 Born in 1936, Tadanori Yokoo is a well-known graphic designer, printmaker, and painter whose current exhibition at albertz benda, “All or Nothing,” offers a glimpse into the Japanese icon’s 60 year long artistic practice. In this small, but well-chosen exhibition of…

Art for Art: Kizuna for the Noto Peninsula Dear readers, We would like to provide you with an update about the funds raised for the Noto Peninsula. As of March 19, 2024 we have raised a total $878 and sent the aid to Wajima Lacquerware Industrial Cooperative Association which is now helping the affected artists…

“Ruth Asawa Through Line” at the Whitney Museum of American Art By Jonathan Goodman, January 15, 2024 Ruth Asawa (1926-2013), born on a family farm in Southern California, was forced to relocate to detention centers with the rest of the family during the Second World War. After what amounted to imprisonment, Asawa tried to get…

A Note of Appreciation from Kyoko Sato, Editor-in-Chief By Kyoko Sato, January 10, 2024 Dear readers, What a journey this past year has been, and I’m truly thankful for your presence throughout. The idea of starting a publication dedicated to Japanese art had been on my mind for a while. Last July, I took the…

Cage Shock: Homage to John Cage’s First Japan Visit By Masa Hosojima, December 20, 2023 This season, Japan Society presented a four-part series, John Cage’s Japan, culminating with ”Cage Shock: Homage to His First Japan Visit.” The series was curated and performed by Tomomi Adachi, in collaboration with experimental sound artists Tania Caroline Chen and…

Interview With Naruki Kukita By Kyoko Sato, November 20, 2023 Fusing classical depictions of sensuality with Western and Japanese influences, Naruki Kukita’s art results in a fresh and unique approach to expressing himself. In tandem with Bushwick Open Studios, Kukita inaugurated the “Naruki Art Dojo,” coinciding with the event last September. Stemming from the establishment of…

MANGA in New York presented by Ginza Sony Park Project By Kyoko Sato, November 7, 2023 Sony, based in Tokyo, has acquired a park in the heart of the global art scene in Chelsea, New York. The exhibition “MANGA in New York” took place at Studio 525, 515 W 24th St, NYC, from October 27…

Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxusat the Japan Society By Kyoko Sato, October 20, 2023 Art movements are like waves that gather artists and propel the energy forward. One of the most significant movements is Fluxus, an international avant-garde art movement that emerged in the 1960s and continued in the 70s. Fluxus drew…

The Armory Show and Manga Art

“Japan’s Anime Sweeping the World” at the Nippon Gallery, New York by Jonathan Goodman July 27, 2023 Curator Kyoko Sato, born in Japan but based in New York City for some twenty years, has a well-known name in the field of Japanese contemporary art studies. She maintains a world view, incorporating artists from America, whose esthetic…

Interview with Oscar Oiwa By Kyoko Sato, August 9, 2023 To celebrate the launch of the magazine, we feature an interview with New York-based artist Oscar Oiwa by its editor-in-chief, Kyoko Sato, in this first issue. Oscar, born in Brazil to first-generation Japanese parents, currently spends his time in New York. In his late 50s,…