Tokyo International Art Fair 2018 success at Roppongi BelleSalle

More than 7000 art aficionados were eager to enter through the doors of BelleSalle Roppongi over the weekend (Friday 25th and Saturday 26th May 2018) as Tokyo city hosted the fourth Tokyo International Art Fair organised by the Global Art Agency (GAA Ltd).

Roppongi BelleSalle was arranged to perfection with over 100 artist and gallery stands from over 30 countries from around the world. The atmosphere was charged with positive vibes as visitors took in the wide range of original art available and took pieces they had purchased home.

Charles Ho from The Wall Street Journal said: "What an evening in Roppongi, where international artists meeting global insights, a superb platform for uprising talent."

New York Gallery from Japan sold within the first hour an original painting by the artist FLORE for 1.2 mill JPY, followed by many more during the art fair.

First prize winner of 2016 Best TIAF Artist Award August Vilella who sold 3 artworks last year worth $ 45,000 USD was back again this year making another outstanding performance... "It is like being family over-here, always a pleasure to exhibit with such a fine organisation."

The weekend culminated in the announcement on Saturday afternoon of the winner of the "Best Tokyo International Art Fair Artist" in by both the panel of judges and members of the public.

1st Prize: Bharat Thakur
2nd Prize: New Now Gallery
3rd Prize: Cristina Jin (Sun Gallery, New York)

From left to right: Manu Alguero, Natal Vallve, Igor Abramovich (New Now Gallery) Barat Thakur, Cristina Jin, New Now Gallery, Joëlle Dinnage.

First prize went to Bharat Thakur who displayed a miracle of realism portraits (for some on the border shuddersome) although technique and style of the highest form! The second prize went to New Now Gallery, owned by Igor Abramovich who's vision lays with Ukrainian art and helping create painting collections in Ukraine. Promotes cooperation between Ukrainian painters and renown auction houses of the world — Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips and Bonhams. Believes that nowadays national art is becoming a worthy partner of international cultural dialogue. Third prize went to Cristina Jin ( New York) originally comes from New Zealand and she believes our purest form of emotion are in the moments. Those emotion is the most honest, natural and emphatic. She wants to keep that entrance of memory, no matter she goes back or not. Christina always carries her easel wherever she goes. Painting for her is to capture the natural first-hand reaction to her encounters, the thrill and the fear and the realization of her adventure.

Organisers of the fair; Joëlle Dinnage and Natal Vallvé from the Global Art Agency added their appreciation to the city's reaction to the event and the enthusiasm they found from artists and visitors alike.

"TIAF 2018 was a great success not only for the big selection of exhibitors from all around the world. It was a window of what's going on in the contemporary art world nowadays" Natal Vallvé said.

"We'll be back for more in 2019 and are already planning next year's event," Joëlle Dinnage said.

For more information on next year's Tokyo International Art Fair and other forthcoming events, please visit www.tokyoartfair.com or www.globalartagency.com Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GlobalArtAgency and follow us on Twitter
https: //twitter.com/GlobalArtAgency

Florencia Zampieri composing her dynamic world at the Tokyo International Art Fair

Florencia Zampieri (22nd March 1973) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since she was a little girl she used to spend her time painting and drawing. She was inspired by all kind of art expressions, so, while she was studying at primary school she started dancing Classic and Contemporary Dance as a hobby. When she finished school she became a Dance teacher at only 17 years old.

Her passion and love to all artistic expressions, inspired her to study Architecture and then Image and Visual Merchandising. In 1998 she graduated from The Buenos Aires University of Architecture and Urbanism.

When she was 24 years old, she started as a University Design Professor and she introduced her self into Habitat Theory Investigation.

Florencia studied different art expression with few teachers that gave her a solid basement to continue her career. Abstract, collage, colours, acrylic, oils, pencils, papers, textures are her tools to compose her dynamic world.

This is a Q & A with Florencia Zampieri, exhibitor at the Tokyo International Art Fair 2018.

Q: How would you describe yourself? And your artwork?
A: My artwork reflects what I am, a Woman in Movement. 

Q: What drives you? 
A: The pleasure that gives the power of art creation, play with colours and textures.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: Images, photos, traveling…life experiences, moments, topics…

Q: Where do you see your art going in ten years?
A: Trascending new frontiers, in constantly movement. 

Q: I know my artwork is finished when?
A: When I feel satisfied

Q: Best exhibition ever participated in?
A: The Next One!

Q: Would love to exhibit my work in?
A: No limits

Website: www.visualwork.com.ar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visual.work/

Art painter and Art Fashion Designer Hiroko Saigusa from Tokyo expresses the power of life we create

At first glance, Hiroko Saigusa’s vibrant paintings are mesmerizing. Working in predominantly acrylic on canvas, HIROKO seamlessly weaves bold lines, geometric planes, and energetic fields of color that comprise her dynamically abstract oeuvre. Her works are at once playful and emotive. In paintings such as Power, curved organic shapes composed of bright red, chartreuse, and navy tones dance and writhe around each other in a nearly dizzying manner. HIROKO’s The 60s evokes a similar playfulness, incorporating bright tones of orange, green and yellow contained within shapes that are reminiscent of the Flower Power movement. Passion elicits a mood of cheerful frenzy as contrasting shades of red, blue, orange, and yellow endlessly twirl around each other.

Born in Japan, the artist is heavily influenced by activities such as drawing, textiles, fashion design, graphic design, and space design. Throughout much of her oeuvre, HIROKO frequently incorporates the color red. She states: “[Red] represents human blood and I feel that I can expresses the power of life we create. It represents vitality, capability, and emotions of human beings.” The artist currently resides in Japan.

This is a short Q&A with HIROKO SAIGUSA.

Q: What is your definition of art?

A: I think that what is alive is art. I am very active and I want to make friends with people all over the world.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: Passion and fashion

Q: How do you deal with artist's block?

A: Never experienced it 

Q: Where do you see your art going in ten years?

A: Paris collection; That my art makes it to fashion.

Q: Can you tell us what you have going on right now?

A: Study of psychiatry

Q: Can you tell us what your 'Before I Die' is?

A: Have my own shop and say thank you my memories friends and family

Q: Best Commissioned artwork ever done was…?

A: Received the Grand Prize at the Japan-China-Korea Art Exhibition. And interview with magazines

Q: Which are your favourite artists?

A: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Q: Greatest achievements so far…?

A: My paintings are currently designed on clothes on show in San Francisco.

Q: Would love to exhibit my work in...?

A: I am praying for activities in New York, Berlin, France and around the world.

Website url: www.hirokosaigusa.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiroko.saigusa

Stephen Hawking inspired art, and a Dalai Lama SUMO-sized surprise at the Tokyo International Art Fair 2018 - Press Release English Version

The city of Tokyo will be playing host to hundreds of talented artists from all around the world when it stages the fourth edition of the Tokyo International Art Fair on 25-26 May 2018, Bellesalle Roppongi. More than 100 exhibitors from over 30 countries will be filling the prime located venue with an incredible display of art, with more pieces than ever before gathered under one roof for visitors to admire and to buy in the city’s largest Artist showcase of modern and contemporary art.

This year, the organisers Global Art Agency joined forces with BELLESALLE Roppongi to host the fourth Tokyo International Art Fair - yet again expecting thousands of art loving visitors and huge sales. Roppongi (六本木, literally "six trees") is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area which includes the famous Mori Art Museum.

Organisers Joëlle Dinnage and her business partner Natal Vallvé from the Global Art Agency are making the fantastic (free) two-day art extravaganza a versatile art happening for the locals of Tokyo. A huge variety of artworks, offering every visitor something to suit their style, all in an affordable price-range to buy and to take home on the day. "We are extremely happy with the new venue, it will be another spectacle." they said.

On show will be paintings, sculptures, photography art, illustrations, printmaking, and jewellery, with a live painting and music show at the event.

“Almost 10,000 people visited the event last year, connections were made, and great sales happened, so everyone was extremely satisfied. There was no doubt to continue and build on the success of the previous editions. We have worked very hard to get a brilliant new venue in one of Tokyo's hotspots attracting art aficionado's from all over the world, and partnering up with The Wall Street Journal has been a great bonus too!" said organiser Joëlle Dinnage.

"We have new talent exhibiting this year as well as some known names, some of them exhibited also with us last year, and of course there are the famous names such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Pure Evil and works by Takashi Marukami"

HIGHLIGHTS:

TASCHEN (Japan) will be exhibiting a World Heritage landmark, this SUMO-sized publication presents the most precious surviving murals of Tibetan Buddhist culture.  For the first time, these astonishing and intricate masterpieces can be appreciated in blazing color and life-size resolution. Signed by his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, coming with a bookstand designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect  Shigeru Ban. 

DisQuiet Gallery (Singapore). There are elusive beasts, and they are called mental illnesses. DisQuiet, an art collective comprising 4 Singaporean artists, aims to create awareness on them. The apparent clash of artistic styles is to tell the narrative that anyone, no matter how different, can succumb to the fragility of the mind. And within each artist’s collection, the pieces depict how the artist views the torment that the sufferers have to go through.

GArtGallery (Russia) is a Moscow-based gallery will be creating a special story in order to present arts in an unusual form with a new conceptual reading at the Tokyo International Art Fair.

Keiko Imaizumi (Canada) will be showing positive enlightened prints presented with LED light backing with a Japanese natural frost motive which reflects the sincerity of the nature of Japan.

Franco The Creator (UK) his creative philosophies are united by eternal values and REVIVAL of spirituality, and serve as an impetus to reconnect with a mode of life most of us have only ever heard about. This driving power that motivates Franco's search for EMOTIONAL TRUTH. He believes that color and geometry can greatly affect how we perceive this meaning. Geometry questions shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space... it almost sounds if Stephen Hawkins had an influence on his works.

Cuen Gallery (Mexico) Expect conceptual design from artist Ramon Jimenez Cardenas creating objects and sculpture pieces. His typologies and materials seen in objects are often derived from design insights seen in his hometown Oaxaca, Mexico. These insights are mostly seen in architectural structures which carry narrative and a graphic language of their own. 

Christopher Parker (USA) Ever heard of ArtLampoons? Well this is your chance to see them... Rice paper lanterns with watercolour, gouache, pen and glycerin.

WOW Art Gallery (HK) Kaya believes that art and design share an inseparable relationship with limitless possibilities. The creative process is a cycle in which people continuously transform, edit and improve the concept, where the purpose is to create creativity in the hope of achieving self-actualization.

Christina Jin (USA) originally comes from New Zealand and she believes our purest form of emotion are in the moments. Those emotion is the most honest, natural and emphatic. She wants to keep that entrance of memory, no matter she goes back or not. Christina always carries her easel wherever she goes. Painting for her is to capture the natural first-hand reaction to her encounters, the thrill and the fear and the realization of her adventure.

And also watch out for EStYLE Art Gallery (Taiwan), ABU Gallery (Guinea-Bissau), Manu Algueró, Suzi Nassif.

Best Artist Award Oxford International Art Fair 2018:

Bogdan Mihai Radu, a Romanian artist whose works spoke volumes at the entrance to the Oxford International Art Fair. On an immense scale that’s immersive, Bogdan’s abstracted expressionism is bold and striking, dense with mood and emotion telling a story of his life, a traumatic episode and a challenging psychological state with which Bogdan worked through in these paintings. ‘I cannot live without painting,’ says Bogdan, ‘because it’s only when I paint that I feel truly alive.’ He is thrilled to have won this award, and will be exhibiting at TIAFA 2018 with pride to show his works to the Asian collectors.

Local Highlights:

AYA Gallery (Japan) Finding inspiration in nature, visualising colours, shapes and lines that feel warm and vibrant. In this exhibition, AYA deal with Japanese agricultural landscapes.

Generative Art Studio (Japan) Expect unpredictable artworks created by programming, 3DCG, MotionGraphics. Without listening to the sound, producing music... it's an experience!

Colleen Sakurai (Japan) Her artistic goal is to keep things simple. Shapes and forms that reveal and accentuate the undulating beauty of the material. 

Also keep a look out for Hiroko Saigusa (Japan), A&S Group (Japan) that have work on from Alex Einbinder and Sachiko Shigeta.

These artists are among the more than 112 showing their work at this year’s fair, which takes place on May 25 and 26. The event aims to showcase both rookie and veteran artists, as well as create chances for networking and buying the art on display.

As the fair runs on two days, it will also be split into private and public viewings. First up is the private, which costs ¥1,500. That provides potential buyers with first pick of the art on offer and includes a serving of Champagne. The public viewing is free, but a lot of people are expected to show up: the inaugural Tokyo International Art Fair last year welcomed more than 10,000 guests.

Dates & Times:
Friday 25th May 2018 : 18.00pm - 21.00pm
Including Champagne Reception, Private View and first opportunity to buy art.

Saturday 26th May 2018 : 11.00am - 19.00pm
Live painting, Buy Art Show, Global Art Awards Ceremony (18.00pm) FREE ENTRY

Tickets: Available here

Venue: BELLESALLE ROPPONGI. Japan, 〒106-0032 Tokyo, Minato, Roppongi, 7 Chome−18−18, 住友不動産六本木通ビル

Website: www.tokyoartfair.com