Made in Japan: JCAT Presents Japan Anew

Feb 20

Feb 20 Made in Japan: JCAT Presents Japan Anew

On Thursday, February 13th, Noho M55 gallery once again opened its doors in Chelsea for their latest exhibition, Made in Japan. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approaching, JCAT continues to put Japan center of the map, bringing traditional artists and their work to the heart of art in New York City.

While their previous exhibition, Invisible Rules of Japan, was more thematically focused, this exhibition, Made in Japan, dazzled with breadth, in both form and content. Upon entering the exhibition the viewer is confronted by color; Jiro’s dream-like diptych, depicting the circle of life, the connectivity of nature, and the geometric tunnels of human imagination, gleams out from the first wall. The depth of composition and vibrancy of hue lulls me into a cosmic trance, losing perspective in his inverted mountains and pink mushrooms.

Not all art should make you feel good and I find this is the case with Hideaki Miyata’s surrealist graphics. The electricity of over-saturation unsettles my sight. The sickening yellow moth wings beat against a pastel sky. It is jarring and it has my attention, in a way that is alluringly uncomfortable.

Continuing through the exhibition, diversity of subject and style abounds. UMI, who traveled from Japan for the exhibition, offered whimsical, muted toned street scenes, completed with curious and curled up cats in the foreground. Hekiun Oda, a premier practitioner of Shodo, presented bold and engaging calligraphy, evoking Spring, Peace, and Dream as dynamic symbols.

Other featured artists included: Muhyojo Ekakist JUNYA / Yutaka Fujimori / naomaria / Takaaki MANO / URANOGAKI / Mariko Takeo. The Japanese Contemporary Artists Team (JCAT) is a unique, creative collective based in New York, which represents over 200 Japanese artists across the world. Their mission is to forge connections, created through extensive artist databases and throughout the year exhibitions, in order to set artists best up for success.

The Made in Japan exhibition was curated by JCAT founder Arisa Itami. From her base in New York, Arisa is engaged in promoting the theme Peace on Earth through the Japanese identity of harmony. A first step towards harmony? Attending Made in Japan at Noho M55.