Shigeru Uchida: Vague Hazy Transparent Wavering    Oct 15 - Nov 14, 2009

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 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.

About Gana Art

Since 1983, Gana Art Gallery has been a pioneer in the rapidly developing art market in Korea. Gana has established an international presence as a result of its efforts to promote Korean art internationally. Gana is a major cultural institution in Korea and is well known for its exhibitions and art related activities including the launching of the Gana Art Center in Seoul in 1998.

Gana Art Gallery currently supports several artist-in-residency programs in Korea and abroad. Gana opened its first international branch, the Galerie Gana Beaubourg, in Paris in 1995 and opened its Chelsea gallery in the spring of 2008.

From its inception, Gana has held firm to its mission of creating a strong presence for Korean artists abroad and for introducing important work from around the world to Korean art enthusiasts. With the rapidly growing global interest in contemporary Asian Art, Gana Art New York is also committed to showcasing talented young and emerging artists from other countries in Asia, including India, China and Japan.