Revolutionary renewal, material freedom, and the bold challenge of tradition in pursuit of something radically new—these are defining features in the work of two groundbreaking Japanese artists: Shiro Tsujimura and Yuko Nasaka.
For the 2025 edition of Tefaf New York, Axel Vervoordt Gallery presents a dual exhibition exploring how these avant-garde artists broke away from convention and developed a new visual language rooted in experimentation and innovation. Despite their differences in medium and style, both Tsujimura and Nasaka have, throughout their long careers, continuously explored texture, materiality, and abstraction. They delve deeply into the surface of their materials, organic forms, and unexpected techniques. As radical and independent artists, their practices reveal striking parallels. This dialogue between their works opens new perspectives, in line with the spirit of their art.
The force of clay
Self-taught artist Shiro Tsujimura (born Gose, 1947) is known for his expressive, raw ceramics that transform and transcend traditional views of Japanese pottery. His creations possess a near-physical presence—intense yet quiet. Aligned with the aesthetics of Zen Buddhism, Tsujimura embraces the unpredictable nature of clay and firing methods. His life and work reflect a philosophy of direct, unfiltered interaction with materials, allowing natural elements to guide the final result.
Industrial poetry
This approach resonates strongly with the artists of the Gutai Art Association, including Yuko Nasaka, who redefined art through raw material experimentation. Nasaka (born Osaka, 1938) was a prominent female figure in the movement, renowned for her complex, machine-like relief paintings marked by rhythmic patterns. She joined the avant-garde group in 1963 and began experimenting with technology and industrial materials. Her modular series of square wooden panels—coated with thin layers of glue, plaster, and clay—were mounted on a custom-built mechanical turntable. She finished each piece with automotive paint, applied using a spray gun similar to those used in car factories. Her work unites the cool rationality of industrial production with the spiritual purity of Japanese tradition and meditation.
A shared language
The dialogue between Shiro Tsujimura and Yuko Nasaka embodies a distinctly Japanese sensibility—one that questions tradition while fueling innovation. The exhibition highlights how both artists engage with their materials in a physical and intuitive way, in search of artistic freedom. Over the decades, they have succeeded in achieving something rare: the creation of an independent, authentic, and confident visual language that is uniquely their own.
TEFAF New York 2025
From May 09 – May 13, 2025
643 Park Avenue New York, NY 10065
Park Avenue Armory
