GALLERY KOGURE NY is pleased to announce installation “HIGH AND RAW” is composed of objects from the new school of Japanese antiques by team “tatami”.

They brought “high” objects and wonders to this minimal space in NY in order to display a “raw” as sensitivity to things that arises from the aesthetic sense and pathos of the Japanese concept. This expression is an art form core Japanese sense of beauty of known as”Mono no aware”.

“tatami” is a expressive team of antique specialist and dealers from Japan presenting a new view of Japanese antique and art.

Since the 1879 Paris Universal Exposition, the exported “Too much oriental” objects of Japanese antiques have been distributed and stereotyped in the Western market as an anachronistic art form catering exclusively to specialty collectors or Japan-enthusiasts. This concept of exclusivity still exists even today.

In parallel, the traditional Eastern viewpoints toward “patina” or “antiquity” based on the Japanized aesthetic sense deeply related to the intangible essence and other unique concepts (e.g. ‘zen’, ‘wabi-sabi’,’mitate’, ‘mingei’ or etc.) have been introduced outside of Japan as well.

But, such viewpoints were often too subtle or abstract to be realized through the exports of such Westernized oriental objects, or books, or related literature as those mediums were not adequately expressive.

Founded in Japan in 2015, tatami has started to present to the world through internet and events the essence, concept, and wonder of the Japanese antiques handpicked individually from the various local places in Japan by each of tatami’s specialist dealers. Because each dealer has devoted their life within Japan to these art forms tatami can honestly present these objects as one’s inspiration itself without stereotyped criteria for what the antique should be. tatami through our events and curation is a spontaneous movement from Japan for the high and raw aesthetic sense as we wish to see it now.

As simple as it is personal, our objects and our activities we regard as music. And as in music we are improvising rather than playing a score. So, honest and undiluted inspiration is the language we strive to speak.