FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please List
“SAKURA FOR TOMORROW:
A Conversation Between Japanese and American Artists”
April 7–May 8, 2021
ELLEN BURNETT / MAY DEVINEY / HISAYUKI DOI / DAVID FITZGERALD
WALLY GILBERT / CHRIS TUCKER HAGGERTY / KAZUO ISHIKAWA
KAT KING / K-JUNKO / KOHARU / NATSUI MASUDA / MEGUMI MATSUKAWA
SAI MORIKAWA / VERNITA N’COGNITA / ICHIGO NOHARA
CHIKAKO NUNOME / KENICHIRO OOTSUKA / RYUGA / BERNICE FAEGENBURG
TOSHIAKI SHIBATA / BOB TOMLINSON / MONZO ＷATANABE
THE ART CAN BE SEEN BOTH AT THE GALLERY & ONLINE
The gallery will be open but you must wear a mask.
You can also see the virtual exhibit on the gallery website
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by Japanese and American artists in an artistic “conversation” exploring their creative and aesthetic similarities and differences. The show extends from April 7 to May 8, 2021 and will be viewable both at the gallery and online. The gallery will be open Wednesday through Saturday 12–6PM during this exhibit and for in-person viewing, masks must be worn.
Sakura has many meanings in the Japanese culture. It is the cherry blossom, considered the national flower of Japan, as well as the name of celebrations in early spring symbolizing rebirth, spring and new beginnings. It also can mean impermanence. Sakura is also celebrated here in the US in many cities and is a time when we all celebrate our shared wishes for a bright future, a rebirth. In 1912, a mayor of Tokyo gave a gift of Japanese cherry trees to the city of Washington, D.C. to enhance the growing friendship between the US and Japan and to also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations. Cherry blossoms, or Sakura, are a central motif in the worship of nature by the Japanese.
Now 2021, during the pandemic, artists from both sides are wishing for a better future in a society overcome with and surrounded by anxiety and chaos. In this exhibit we can see too, how the artists of both countries have influenced and borrowed from one another’s compositions, techniques and materials and through their art, are carrying on artistic and aesthetic conversations.
These are not your traditional Japanese scrolls of landscapes and wise men lost in contemplation. Nor are the American artists always painting on canvas and lost in realism. Many American artists share a gesture in their paintings that echo Japanese brush painting and in some contemporary Japanese artists work, we can see a western sensibility not a part of traditional Japanese artwork of the past.
The pandemic has altered and affected our reality so significantly that it is difficult to know what matters beyond surviving. Still, we must continue to realize the importance of art and culture to reflect our wishes for the future and our memories of the past. The digital world will remain important even after we are no longer forced to isolate, so Viridian is inviting you to view this exhibit of outstanding art by both Japanese and American artists in our digital gallery at www.viridianartists.com as well as at the gallery in person, of course while wearing a mask.
-Vernita Nemec
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12-6pm & by appointment with masks
For further information please contact the gallery at viridianartistsinc@gmail.com
or view the gallery website: www.viridianartists.com