Detail: The original work of two innovative and talented Japanese glass artists Dominic Fondé and Mituyasu Yokota on display at Agora Gallery, NYC in Divergent Realities. The opening reception will take place Thursday, October 15th, from 6-8 PM. Any art lover who enjoys thought-provoking artworks and meeting talented and interesting artists is encouraged to attend.

About Dominic Fondé

Glass artist Dominic Fondé uses the process of drill engraving to explore the many narratives spun by both memory and emotional attachment surrounding the experiences of love, loss, trust, and forgiveness. These narratives are explored through image and also by the inscription of Fondé’s own original short stories and texts on glass surfaces. The engravings the artist creates are simple in scope yet stunningly beautiful. There is a haunting quality to the work, brought about by taut compositions, unexpected juxtapositions of images, and a strong dedication to detail. What results are works laden with meaning and unforgettable for those who encounter them. Above all, Fondé’s visual and textual stories aim to explore the emotional weight that objects have in our lives and how their sudden loss can be both dramatic and devastating. Fondé explains the significance of inanimate objects in our modern lives in simple but moving terms: “A glass can hold more than water and a vase more than flowers. They hold thoughts, feelings, and memories, too.”

Dominic Fondé currently lives and works in Kobe, Japan.

About Mituyasu Yokota

Mituyasu Yokota developed his own medium and process as a contemporary means of respecting and reviving the traditional art of Japanese Kimono and Obi. These practices are today less and less common, so by preserving their memory in glass, Yokota creates and preserves a tribute to their rich heritage and history. In his works, Yokota fuses traditional Japanese papers to glass, occasionally incorporating extra three-dimensional elements like diamonds and, in some works, actual vintage Kimonos from the Edo period. Founder and sole practitioner of this method, Yokota calls his artwork and process “WaGlass.”

Indeed, in the spirit of the tradition that he seeks to preserve, Yokota is able to recreate that very elegant, delicate sense of natural beauty, calm, and peace that can be found in so much of the history of Japanese art. In pastel colors, flowers, cherry blossoms, and birds sweep, as if on a breeze, across abstracted backdrops. Japanese culture and history is clearly of primary importance to Yokota, who has also referenced in his work the much-heralded 11th century novel by Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji.

About the Exhibition

Getting Lost In Life: The Divergent Realities Exhibition

In the exhibition Divergent Realities, the viewer is transported across time, media, and nations in a series of compositions that draw inspiration from every corner of the earth. From pleasant beach scenes to distant deserts, from realistic interior scenes to more abstract and surreal implications of nature and humanity, these works all come from a place of observation and keen understanding of reality and perception. Each artist expands (and, in a few cases, defines) their media in ways that enchant and entrance the viewers.

About Agora Gallery

Agora Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery located in the heart of Chelsea’s fine art district in New York. Established in 1984, Agora Gallery specializes in connecting art dealers and collectors with national and international artists. The art gallery’s expert consultants are available to assist corporate and private clients in procuring original artwork to meet their organization’s specific needs and budget requirements. With a strong online presence and popular online gallery, ARTmine, coupled with the spacious and elegant physical gallery space, the work of our talented artists, who work in diverse media and styles, can receive the attention it deserves. Over the years Agora Gallery has sponsored and catered to special events aimed at fostering social awareness and promoting the use of art to help those in need.