Midori Furuhashi Explores the Nature of Love at Agora Gallery

NEW YORK, NY, February 08, 2012

Midori Furuhashi, a native of Hiroshima, dives deep into Japanese artistic tradition to create her one-of-a-kind, dreamily updated visions of the sublime. Employing the ancient materials of handmade paper and pigment derived from metal, shell, and rock, Furuhashi recreates the delicate, radiant tracery of the best-known Japanese pen-and-ink painters, such as Katsushika Hokusai. However, her addition of a female figure intertwined with flowers, animals, and symbolic elements is unmistakably modern and irrepressibly imaginative, showing her vision beyond the confines of tradition.

Furuhashi's pieces display a centralized composition, flattened field of depth, and a simplified color palette that often relies on a single dramatic contrast between two tones. Within such technical restraints, the artist finds a wealth of symbolic territory in her subject matter. Women's faces emerge from enormous blossoms; two figures embrace amidst a whirlpool of brushstrokes. "I feel all creatures have the same roots of life," Furuhashi says by way of explaining her sensational creations. "Love continues our existence externally, passing one's life to the next generation."

Exhibition Dates: February 10, 2012 - March 1, 2012
Reception: Thursday, February 16, 2012, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Midori_Furuhashi.aspx

About the Exhibition:

Infuse the short winter days with energy and warmth by visiting the exhibitions at Agora Gallery this February. The Substance of Abstraction explores the variety and mystery of the world, diving into the essence of form and shape that make up our lived experience of reality. Intriguing, intelligent and full of fascinating detail and insight, these works provide a memorable occasion. The artists in Sensorial Perspectives express their interest and joy in the things they perceive, bringing to their art both their considerable artistic skills and their acute observational abilities in a combination that achieves dazzling results. Elemental Realms is characterized by a vibrant passion which enlivens and inspires those who come into contact with it. Lively and enthralling, these works provide a treat for those who are sensitive to atmosphere and the enormous potential of color.

Featured Artists:

The Substance of Abstraction
Lauren Abshire | Mikael Altersten | Carlos Luis Benavente | Angela Cibos-Reisinger | Jennifer Epprecht | HERMINE | David Jay Juter | Olivia Kapoor | Maryline Lemaitre | Jennifer Pinder | Micheline Raymond | Janice Sobel | Sieglinde Wagner

Sensorial Perspectives
Aurora Ave | LuisaElena Betancourt | Larry Frank | Rachel Hamburger | Nada Herman | Martin Machacek | Jose Ma Martinez | Tammy Phillips |
Rusiko Plaksina | Alessandro Tamponi

Elemental Realms
Patricia Armour | Midori Furuhashi | Ucki Kossdorff | Armande Lebeau |
Kaileigh Osarczuk | Agnès CH Peeters | Juan Jose Prada | Eleni Tsotsorou |
Guido Villa

Interviews with the artists and high resolution images are available upon request.

About Agora Gallery
Agora Gallery is a fine art gallery, established in 1984 and located in the heart of New York City's Chelsea art galleries district. It is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. Gallery II, an elegant adjacent gallery space, gives artists the ideal area for a solo or group exhibition of their own, organized and publicized by Agora Gallery. The gallery also publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of international talented artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is also the sponsor of ARTmine, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art. The gallery also runs Agora Art Blog, a blog designed to provide helpful information and advice for artists while providing a forum for artists to help one another by sharing their experiences and thoughts.

Established in 1984, Agora Gallery is dedicated to the promotion of national and international contemporary artists. The Gallery caters to the taste and trends of the sophisticated New York art market and the Gallery's discerning worldwide collector base. The Gallery's wide client-base includes private collectors, art consultants, corporate art consultants, architects and interior designers as well as business, government, diplomatic and social VIPs. Agora Gallery offers the client an extraordinary opportunity to acquire some of the most carefully curated art in the contemporary, global art market.