The booth presented by Onishi Gallery at the Salon Art + Design was curated by design connoisseur Daniella Ohad, and it brings Japanese objects into the heart of the contemporary New York City interior.
The rich body of contemporary handcrafted objects originating in Japan has gradually entered the celebrated arena of collectible design. It has been recognized for its artistic craftsmanship, holistic aesthetics, innovation, and immense beauty. These objects that enrich some of the world’s best interiors are created by a new generation of brillian craftspeople that are passionate about preserving and perfecting their chosen crafts. While paying tremendous respect for heritage—by throwing clay, weaving silk and bamboo, dyeing textiles, hammering silver, inlaying metails, and applying lacquer—they seek to create a new narrative and find novelty. Some honed their skills by apprenticing with masters, while others were born into legendary families of makers. But all of them have devoted their lives and astonishing energy to transcending conventions to take kogei (Japanese for ‘crafts’) to new horizons.
The new interior of the 21st century is based on the combination of art and craft, on forging a strong narrative of living environments, and on capturing the identity and embodying the story of those living in them. Within this creative endeavor to quest for timeless spaces and cultural homes, where interior designers avoid replicating and the appreciation of crafts and the handmade is growing, Japanese objects feel at home, adding allure to the interior space. T
In the presented booth, we explore the way in which the Japanese objects—expressive, sculptural, dramatic, and filled with stories—are engaged within a New York City sanctuary, a living area of comfort and refinement. We bring objects from Japan into the interior space while creating a dialogue between the two, testing the chemistry and dynamic of this juxtaposition. The craftspeople who work in small villages and Japan’s traditional centers of crafts have not made objects thinking of where they would end up, but the emotional aspects of their arts and their passion are imbued into them, serving as a tremendous addition to the universal narrative of the interiors. The Japanese object proves to add fresh, powerful, and unexpected allure while transforming spaces.
