Gana Art New York -> Shigeru Uchida: Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering

"Five Stars" "★★★★★"

Review of Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering:

The Gana Art center really out did themselves with this high profile show of Shigeru Uchida. Uchida is one of the designers today with lots of high profile grants and awards who has been producing for over 30 years! This exhibit was incredible and multi-faceted. For one thing, the attendees at this show were much more interesting than the other receptions that evening, some even wearing traditional feudal Japanese outfits. When I walked in I was greeted with somebodies lovely perfume (typically I don't notice perfume) and it was very pleasant. In a way the pleasant sweetness of the perfume foreshadowed the exhibit.

One of the first things you see when you enter is the large wooden trees (pictured above) and there is a small description on the left wall about some traditional Japanese concepts which set the tone of the lens that you will view the rest of the installation with. It's hard to describe the show really, you'll just have to see it for yourself! Any self respecting art connoisseur cannot miss this opportunity to see Uchida's contemporary works! The first floor also had pools of water which were lit from the bottom casting out a mystical wavering light onto the walls. Also littered throughout the show were these little white creature like benches (also above). On the second floor were some intricate shelving designs that looked like they came right out of a photo sequence. In the same room there was watery light projected onto the floor with more white creatures. Overall Uchida really created an amazing atmosphere that captured some of the essence of Japanese culture and also provided a great sense of tranquility with multi layered meaning. This is a MUST MUST MUST MUST SEE! Enjoy the show!

Press Release for Gana Art New York's Shigeru Uchida: Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering show:

New York-- Gana Art New York is proud to present Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering -- a solo exhibition of designs and furniture by Shigeru Uchida, an internationally acclaimed Japanese architect and designer of furniture and interiors. The exhibition will showcase a lighting design inspired by the ever-changing qualities of light titled "Dancing Water." Infinitely variable and diffuse according to time of day, season, and clime, light plays a vital role in the ambience[SIC] of interiors, especially in Japanese homes screened with native shoji paper. Also on display will be a range of unique book-shelves and organic wooden sculptures that reflect Uchida's cool and restrained aesthetic style.

Uchida has been one of the most influential trend setters of design in Japan for over 30 years. He is a pioneer of the simple and serene interiors that have now become the hallmark of Japanese contemporary design. Since the early 1980s, Uchida has continued to build and expand upon his quietly elegant designs. His oeuvre includes homes, public spaces, contemporary tea-ceremony rooms and globally established retail stores.

The signature combination of light, air, restraint and elegance in Uchida's compositions is modern yet firmly rooted in Japanese tradition. Uchida has always been moved by the tension between Eastern and Western cultures, and probes how differing traditions and life patterns -- such as removing shoes and sitting on the floor--directly impact the design of interior fixtures, lighting and furniture. The modest quality and simplicity of Uchida's interiors underscore perhaps the single most important factor in all of his designs – that of quietness.

Uchida's works are included in numerous museum permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Uchida has also worked on a wide range of important architectural and urban planning projects as well as a series of comprehensive interiors. His most notable commissions include the WAVE building in the Roppongi section of Tokyo, Japan; boutiques for Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and ESPIRIT, USA; and the Kobe Fashion Museum, Kobe, Japan.