2020 年（令和 2 年）2 月 22 日（土）THE

週刊NY生活SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU
tional Japanese motifs such as
Tel: +1 212 242 6220 / gallery@lyonswiergallery.com / www.LyonsWierGallery.
com
LYONS WIER GALLERY 542 West
24th Street New York, NY 10011
KAORUKO “Animism”
February 27 – March 21, 2020
Opening Reception Thursday, February
27 (6-8pm)
Lyons Wier Gallery 542 West 24th St.
New York, NY 10011
objects,
places and creatures all possess a dis- Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm
tinct spiritual essence. Potentially, ani- (Co ur te s y of the pre ss mate r ial/
mism perceives all things--animate and LYONS WIER GALLERY)
inanimate--as animated and alive. Tradi-［English Edition］(24­­)

JAPAN VOICECOOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ View points

TAKAOKI TAJIMA
Solo Exibition at
The Nippon Gallery

Lyons Wier Gallery presents
KAORUKO's Animism in New York
Lyons Wier Gallery will present“Animism” by former teen pop star andpresent-day painter Kaoruko.
“Animism” explores the complex cultural and ideological divide between traditional and contemporary ideals that are
inherently placed upon Japanese womenby using carefully crafted narratives tonavigates and call attention to the cultural contemporary standards. By drawing
upon her first-hand experience with pop
culture now seen through a mature gaze,
Kaoruko sets her sights upon the cultural expectation of the ‘feminine’ in asociety that is deeply steeped in history
and one that is forging new frontiers.
Interspersed throughout her highly
detailed compositions are subtle nods
to “Animism,” the ancient belief that acute Koma dog and a carp swimming
upstream
are subtly found within Kaoruko’s colorful and meticulous illustrations.
Kaoruko’s painting process pays homage
to both traditional and contemporary
Japanese artistic methodologies by using
water-based paint (acrylic), gold leaf, sumi-e (traditional calligraphy techniques),
ukiyo-e (traditional Japanese woodblockprints) and silkscreened kimono patterns
on canvas.

By juxtaposing all these similar yet
separate elements, Kaoruko weaves together narratives of the young and old,the bourgeoning and bygone to deliver
poignant paintings that straddle cultural,sexual and geographic beliefs and stereotypes of feminine identity at a crucial
time that is rewriting the narrative on
what it is to be female both here andabroad.
Kaoruko has exhibited throughout Japanat institutions such as Laforet Museum (Tokyo), Parko Museum (Tokyo),Takashimaya Gallery (Osaka), Tenpozan
Museum of Modern Art (Osaka), LoftGallery (Kumamoto), the Kyoto International Art Festival (Kyoto), and has
shown at the Chelsea Art Museum (NewYork), Jim Kempner Fine Art (NewYork), Waterfall Gallery (New York),
Mike Weiss Gallery (New York), WhiteBox (New York), Ethan Cohen Fine Arts
Gallery (New York) and Mana Contemporary (Jersey City, NJ). Kaoruko lives
and works in New York.
For further information, contact: Lyons
Wier Gallery 542 West 24th Street, NewYork, NY 10011 Tel: +1 212 242 6220
Email: gallery@lyonswiergallery.com
www.lyonswiergallery.com #lyonswiergallery @lyonswiergallery

Yukie Natori's Nail Art shines at
New York Fashion Week
Nail artists who came to the UnitedStates from Japan played an active role
behind the scenes during the annual
New York Fashion Week, which began
on February 4.
Yukie Natori, who runs two nail schoolsin Tokyo and runs a salon in New York,brought together 10 Japanese nail artists
and show their skills and beauty.
This work is a runway show by designer
Tia Adeola. = Photo right =The role of nail art is " Give yourfingertips an expression. And there aredifferences in hand movements andgestures with nail art painted with nails
painted in color and design according toclothes” Ms. Natori said.
This time, they created 400 nails for 30

models for three months.
One of the team members, Yukari
Kaneko, said "I heard the inspirationof the costume from the designer anddesigned it with that image."
The artificial nail material is roughlyclassified into "acryl" and "gel", but
Natori uses gel made from a gel-likematerial whose main component isurethane acrylic resin.
Models who finished hair, makeupand nails in the waiting room, wear
the costume in the next waiting room,
and went on to the runways awaiting
journalists and industry stakeholders.
(Article and Photo by Weinstein Kinue
Imai/Translated by Masaya Watanabe)

The sculptor Takaoki Tajima's firstoverseas exhibition, "Takaoki Tajima
Solo Exhibition-Flowers and Arashi
Mo Sculptures" was held at the Noppon
Gallery until the 5th.
Tajima is a fifth-generation sculptor
born of a Buddhist master, and a popular
sculptor whose two-headed humorousand cute wood carving work became a
hot topic in Japan.
At the opening reception held on January
23, about an hour's lecture was given to
about 70 participants who gathered in
the Sakura Room on the second floor of
the Nippon Club.
In the lecture, he explained his
personal story about Tajima's family,
how to paint the completed sculptures
15 to 20 times, and how to make black
onyx with stone and glass coating.
At the end of the lecture, "I want to keepmaking something what I consent.
I've come this far if I was swept away
like Forest Gump. I want to make highquality products in the future. “ . Hesaid.
A wood carving workshop to produce
Chikuwa will be held on the 25th. At theexhibition, they exhibited 50 humorous
works and received, such as " A mousethat splits a bun into two " "Pigs that
tried to give pearls to pigs and nottangerine."(Article & photo: Yuk iko Takada/Translated by Masaya Wataqnabe)

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