KOGEI Exhibition: Metalwork and Lacquerware: Asia Week New York 2026

The exhibition introduces audiences to masterpieces shaped by centuries of inherited skill while offering a first glimpse of a major museum touring project set to travel across the United States beginning in 2027. At the gallery’s elegant Upper East Side space in the historic Sidney Ripley mansion on 79th Street, visitors will encounter an exceptional gathering of works representing two of Japan’s most iconic traditions: Metalwork and Lacquerware.

The metalwork section shines a spotlight on groundbreaking women artists who have risen to prominence in a field long dominated by men—an arena traditionally linked to physical endurance and, historically, samurai culture. Featuring the work of Oshiyama Motoko, Hagino Noriko, and Living National Treasure Ōsumi Yukie, the exhibition presents dazzling creations in gold, silver, platinum, copper, lead, and signature Japanese alloys. Through demanding, painstaking techniques such as casting, chiseling, and hammering, these artists balance expressive freedom with uncompromising technical mastery, producing works of exceptional subtlety, radiance, and refinement.

Featured Artists

Metalwork: Rusu Aki, Osumi Yukie, Tamagawa Norio, Nakagawa Mamoru, Katsura Morihito, Iede Takahiro, Hata Shunsai III, Oshiyama Motoko, Hagino Noriko, Hara Satoshi

Lacquerware: Komori Kunie, Onihira Keiji, Suzutani Toyoshi, Mizushiri Seiho, Mizushiri Satomi, Mizushiri Kota, Tearanishi Shota, Okado Yuji, Sakamoto Yasunori, Nakamuro Soichiro, Chahira Issai, Noguchi Ken

highlight: Rusu Aki (b. 1976) and Onihira Keiji (b.1973)

These remarkable mid‑career artists form part of a larger group whose work the gallery will also showcase at “Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light,” a wide-ranging festival at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice this September.