CURRENT & UPCOMING

MUTSUKO SASAKI Natural Indigo Dye

Gallery Max New York proudly Introduces natural indigo artisan Mutsuko Sasaki from Japan.

Mutsuko's mission is to rediscover the traditional natural indigo dyeing process which was established and developed around 1600 AD in Edo (Tokyo) Era.

The easiest natural indigo dyeing process is to simply place Indigo leaves on clothes and pound the leaves into the cloth. Another dyeing method is to grind fresh leaves and add water to make liquid dye. There is also a more difficult dyeing technique called Chinden-Ai which is the most popular form today.

An even more complex dyeing method called Sukumo involves fermenting the indigo leaves. The fermentation process is a multi-layered dyeing technique with additional processing, composting, and effort that preserves the dye and gives a deeper, concentrated pigment.

Mutsuko is fervently dedicated to the traditional fermented indigo dyeing process. Sometimes, she works day and night with the "live" fermented indigo using the same time-consuming process established in 1600AD.

Please come to see her Indigo in SoHo, New York!

*We are also exhibiting the world's first indigo dyed pearls in collaboration with renowned pearl artist Eiji Uemura.

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HATSUMI YOSHIDA Metamorphosis – Wearable Art

When Hatsumi was a little girl, she liked to play in nature, with things such as leaves, sticks and straw. She would use these natural materials to make clothing. Her work now is simply an extension of that same endeavor.

Her speciality is the uniqueness of her raw materials. She is not interested in using things commonly considered as valuable, such as gemstones or works of art. She even doesn’t like using the materials specifically manufactured for fashion creation, including buttons and cloth. Rather, she uses things like banana fibers, fish scales, feathers, sponge, plastic or vinyl sheet, and sometimes even metal pieces. And her future will surely lead to the discovery of even more varied and interesting raw materials...

And it is not only visual. Her work involves all five senses. She talks to the materials and “breathes life into them to make them warm again.” She knows she is on the right track when she “feels a fluttering in her heart.” That when her job as a designer is successful!

She moved her creative base to Bali 19 years ago for its rich natural environment. It allows her to enjoy life and have fun. Her atelier is located just outside the city of Kuta. It is called Panorama Cottages and is a collection of separate cottages spread across a beautiful garden, which feels like a forest that once belonged to the royal family.

She has met many nice people in Bali. People who started as friends eventually became her workers. So, with her collection of friends, she greatly enjoys making clothes and accessories. They take time and utmost care in creating each piece. It often is a playful process, and she deeply engages herself in it with a community of craftspeople.

Hatsumi will continue with her creative activity of making clothing and accessories. Her wish is that her pieces will enhance the self-expression of those who wear them and that these new friends will become part of the collaboration. The result, she is hoping, would be a group celebration of life.

See more about Hatsumi Yoshida at Studio Suma: www.studiosuna.com

Contact her at studiosuna@jcom.home.ne.jp

Contact her American Representative Eiko Berkowitz at eiko.suna.studio@gmail.com

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GROUP SHOW SJAC 2018 Exibition

SJAC /ésdʒaék/ stands for the Society of Japanese and American Creators; consists of New York and its environs based artists. They organize an annual exhibition and coordinates group/solo exhibitions according to their members’ needs.

Kayo Albert, Silvia Aviles, Ayako Bando, Christopher Craig, Vassilina Dikidjieva, Debra Friedkin, Mikako Fujiwara, Makiko Hanafusa, Natsuko Hattori, Halona Hilbertz, Kumi Hirose, Tom Hooper, Kazuko Hyakuda, Jun’ichiro Ishida, Kotatsu Iwata, Sam Jungkurth, Mikiko Kanno, Fumiko Kashiwagi, Atsuko Kawai, Akiko Kosaka, Helmut Krackie, Ayane Kurai, Mieko Mitachi, Miki Nagano, Kenichi Nakajima, Yasuko Okumura, Yupin Pramotepipop, Carol Quint, Miki Rokuroda, Linda Smith, Akemi Takeda, Mary Teichman, Toru Tokashiki, Yuko Ueda, Keico Watanabe, Yoichiro Yoda, YUKAKO

Inquiries for SJAC: www.sjacblog.wordpress.com/contact

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HIROKO NAKAKITA Blooming

The world is made up of artificial forms created by humans as well as forms created by nature.

Humans are instinctively drawn toward living a natural life.

However, life compels humans to live with intent and logic in order to navigate the world.

I use flower and chandelier motifs to convey the fragility, ruthlessness, and strength of the human heart, balancing both the natural and artificial.

When this balance of the natural and artificial can be struck in the heart and captured on canvas, I believe beauty comes to life.