Date： Thursday, 1 July 2021 – Sunday, 31 July 2021, Venue: Padre Gallery (60 E 80th Street New York, NY 10075)
Participating artists： Tvorogov brothers, Grip Face, Sun-Kyo Park, Ken Nwadiogbu, Ayanfe Olarinde, Chen Wei Ting, LY, Willem Hoeffnagel, David Williams and Jeff McCreight akaRu8icon.
Between July 1st and July 31st, Padre Gallery in New York is proud to present a group exhibition FRESH, featuring works by Tvorogov brothers, Grip Face, Sun-Kyo Park, Ken Nwadiogbu, Ayanfe Olarinde, Chen Wei Ting, LY, Willem Hoeffnagel, David Williams and Jeff McCreight akaRu8icon.
When high temperatures hit and everyone wants to leave the hot asphalt and surround themselves with sand and the sea, Pablo Villazán curated “FRESH”, a group exhibition of 10 international artists from different artistic backgrounds and age groups. All of them have different techniques. Their work will undoubtedly refresh our senses and make us enjoy the hot summer in the big apple as if it were an oasis in the middle of the desert.
The name “Fresh” is inspired by the bright colors used in Grip Face’s artistic expression, the uncontrolled strokes of Chen Wei Ting, the youthful games of the eternal Bear by Tvorogov brothers or the camping scenes, which act as an escape valve for Willem Hoeffnagel. In addition the sensuality created on Ru8icon’s imaginary beach, the intimacy of Ken Nwadiogbu and the impudence of Ayanfe Olarinde’s work. It never leaves us indifferent which contrasts with the serenity of Sun-Kyo Park’s portraits and the beautiful simplicity of LY’s figures.
Date： Friday, 23 July 2021 – Monday, 16th August 2021, Weekday 10:00a.m.-9:00p.m. Weekend & Holidays 10:00a.m.-8:00p.m. Opening hours are based on the business hours of Atre Toride. Venue：VIVA, Atre Toride 4th Floor, 2-5, Chuocho, Toride-shi, Ibaraki Admission:free
Plan: NULLNULL STUDIO (Sayoko Suwabe, Hideki Kimishima) Guest artist: Mizuho Seko
Commerce and art have always maintained an exquisite relationship. For us artists, “putting a price on our works” is a very delicate issue. Nowadays, with the development of social networking services and NFT, we have many opportunities to know the prices of other people’s works. However, in reality, the prices of art works are very ambiguous. In fact, Sayoko Suwabe, a fine artist, started this project from a somewhat skeptical attitude in regards to putting a price on her own work.
Kimishima, who is also an artist, holds workshops called “Bento Workshop” at local elementary schools and asks the children to put a price on the inedible “Bento (lunch box)” works they make. The sensibility of the children, including the way they decide the prices, is completely different from our own, and the place is always filled with creative energy. Now, what is art and what is its value?
In order to fully discuss these questions, NULLNULL STUDIO has been in residence at Toride VIVA in the Atre commercial facility since May, engaging in dialogue with all kinds of visitors. We held a screening, showed visitors our works, and sometimes even had the opportunity to interview shop staff and local students.
This exhibition at Toride VIVA presents the actual works along with the process. It is highly significant to hold these projects at the commercial facility, Atre. This is because it is the front line of the economy that has supported people’s lives, and it is a place that has always been confronted with value and price. In this context, Toride VIVA has become a place of well-being and multi-generational exchange in this age of nuclear families.
This exhibition creates a space for communication that transcends the functions of gallery and shopping center through dialogues among two artists who make their living in fine art, the shopping center visitors, as well as a guest artist.
*Atre=the shopping mall of the station building
Taiken Bijutsuba VIVA (Learning Art Center), directly connected to Toride Station, is a new cultural exchange platform with Open Archive of Collections of Tokyo University of the Arts, galleries, workshop, park, library and project room, which opened in December 2019. NULLNULL STUDIO won the VIVA AWARD, which was newly established in 2021.
