EXHIBITIONS/EVENTS

私は

So Fujii 【1st – 6th  February】“I drew someone’s pets in this exhibition because I wanted to share feelings through my illustrations. People who keep pets have various emotions, like happiness, joy, sometimes frustration, and sadness towards their pets. But this is just what it means to love your pets. So I started to collect images of pets on social networking sites. The pictures the owners took are great and helpful for my drawings. When they see my illustrations, I’m happy that they can look back on their memories and feel their love once more.” So Fujii Illustrator, born in Toyama, Japan. Living in London since 2016. He has created many … Read More

So Fujii 【1st – 6th  February】“I drew someone’s pets in this exhibition because I wanted to share feelings through my illustrations. People who keep pets have various emotions, like happiness, joy, sometimes frustration, and sadness towards their pets. But this is just what it means to love your pets. So I started to collect images of pets on social networking sites. The pictures the owners took are great and helpful for my drawings. When they see my illustrations, I’m happy that they can look back on their memories and feel their love once more.” So Fujii Illustrator, born in Toyama, Japan. Living in London since 2016. He has created many … Read More

Svetlana Wheeler 【11th – 25th January】 The reception: 11th January, 18:00-20:00 Book your ticket here: goo.gl/CmHQUD Yuzen is the Japanese traditional craft of silk dye-resist painting. It was originally used to decorate kimono and obi (sash) and has been practised for centuries. Typically, artists draw mainly on natural and seasonal iconography for inspiration, using the elements too, in combinations that often comprise water and skies, flowers and leaves. In this exhibition, Svetlana unifies insistent themes of nature and peace. At times, it is direct and explicit, such as Koi resting languidly in a pond, beneath an autumnal tree. In others, perhaps less so, such as the cooling air of a … Read More

Jakob Kaye 【17th November – 22nd December 2017】 Sashiko meaning ‘little stab’ is a traditional stitching technique originating from Northern Japan. The practise evolved as a domestic rural craft during the Edo era in a time of peace. Using un-dyed thread on dark indigo cloth, the patterns often represent Buddhist motifs and ‘protection symbols’ whilst also having the functional task of strengthening clothes. Jakob Kaye is a light artist based in Scotland using various hand etching methods on mirrors to depict his chosen subject matter for each series. Often drawn towards natural geometry and cultural history as themes, Jakob is applying the fine hand-skill and focus required for the needlework … Read More

Tiger Tanuki – Malene Wagner【9th – 14th November 2017】 Reception: Thursday 9th November, 18:00 – 20:00 The exhibition explores winterscapes by a range of renowned print artists, including shin hanga artist Tsuchiya Koitsu and Saito Kiyoshi of the sosaku hanga movement. This is a unique opportunity to immerse in nostalgic snowscapes and humoristic winter scenes from the 1930s up to the 21st century. It will run until November 14 only so stop by before the snow melts! The exhibition is sponsored by Ukiyo Republic who will create special winter-themed drinks for the opening night❄️🍸

Tiger Tanuki & Ukiyoripublic 【11th November 2017】 We all need something to warm up our body and soul in this transitional time of the year, don’t we? That is why we prepared the Japanese ART & SAKE event to satisfy you physically and mentally! It is nice to have drinks in broad daylight and see art programs on TV during weekend, but why don’t you do that with us at Sway Gallery, especially because we have invited specialists from various fields of Japanese culture, whose knowledge and stories will reveal to us the real picture of Japanese life style in sacred winter time. Being surrounded by Japanese prints and with … Read More

Kaoru Akagawa 【5th October – 8th November 2017】 Reception: Thursday 5th October, 18:00 – 20:00 As Charles Chaplin has depicted in his film, anything inefficient was banned in ‘Modern Times’. Such was the fate of Kana, phonetic scripts unique to Japan, which were abandoned and forgotten despite their legacy of a thousand years. Kana, representative of a leisurely and creative pursuit, are no longer used in day-to-day life in contemporary Japan due to their complexity and the difficulty of passing down and acquiring the necessary skills. By using Kana in her contemporary work, Akagawa attempts to build a bridge beyond time and space. Her works are time consuming, but she … Read More

Damien Borowik 【5th – 29th September 2017】 Reception: Thursday 7th September, 18:00 – 20:00 Book your ticket here: Eventbrite “Ma (間) is a Japanese word which can be roughly translated as gap, space, pause or the space between two structural parts. The spatial concept is experienced progressively through intervals of spatial designation. […] Ma is not something that is created by compositional elements; it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements. Therefore, ma can be defined as experiential place understood with emphasis on interval.“ – Wikipedia, Aug 2017 Damien Borowik is a visual artist who investigates the art of making as aesthetics. Using … Read More

DATE: 11th – 23rd SEPTEMBER 2017 We have another edition of sake festival in collaboration with Sam Sake at Sway Gallery! This time you can taste and purchase sake from Kochi prefecture, between the 11th and the 23rd September. This prefecture is well known for its fruits production, especially for YUZU (a citrus fruit, between lemon and lime). And don’t miss the event “Tiger under The Yuzu Tree” at which the brewer himself will show you his sake. Tasting drops of various sake will make your Tuesday night special 🍶 EVENTS: ★ 19th September 18:00 – 21:00 Tiger under The Yuzu Tree – Kochi prefecture sake fair – (presentation & … Read More

Japanese green tea 【6th September 2017】 What is it exactly after all? Nowadays we see so many different kinds of Japanese tea in every corner of London, from superfood matcha latte to genmai cha. However, do we really know what they are exactly and how to use them, not only for making a cup of tea? During 1 hour long session, a Japanese tea expert from Japan, Mrs. Noriko Sonoda, the Director of ‘Sonoda Chaho Hoko-en’ will make a personal introduction to the world of Japanese tea. She will reveal some of the secrets of green tea and introduce you to some very practical knowledge, including the difference in benefits between … Read More

Morgan De Laporte 【15th – 31st August 2017】   Morgan de Laporte is a French photographer focused on street and travel photography. Mixing analogue and digital tools, he shows here his journey around Honshu Island. This series of photographs explore the Japanese rythmes of life. Travelling through the gigantic mazes of Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama, always in the spectator’s position. He captures the workers and dreamers of Japan’s sprawling megalopolis; frozen moments of cities in constant movement and its inhabitants who snooze and feed these never-sleeping giants. A journey that also takes him to the more peaceful life in the snowy mountains of Nikko and Nagano, where nature – the … Read More

Furuki-Yo Kimono 【3rd – 12th August 2017】 Sway Gallery London is delighted to present Sonoe Sugawara, a London-based vintage kimono dealer and owner of Furuki Yo-Kimono Vintage, which showcases the world of vintage & antique kimono. The name is a play on the Japanese expression, Furuki Yo-Kimono Vintage (ふるきよきもの) which means ‘good old things’. Sonoe has been collecting vintage kimono for years and has become a source for Western kimono lovers including designers of some of the world’s leading fashion brands. The main collection of her kimonos are from 1920-30s pre-war period known in Japan as the Taisho period and Japanese Art Deco period when Western modernism mingled with Japanese … Read More

Special event 【10th – 22nd July 2017】 Japan has a long history of Buddhism and religious mythology: having derived many from other Asian cultures. One popular belief is that there is a God in everything, and this even includes sake – a sacred drink of the Gods. Until the 20th century, Kyushu was seen as Japan’s gateway to the world and a centre for trade. It has historically been the first stop for foreign traders and travellers to Japan and the place from where outside influences would spread to the rest of the country.Time has moved on, but the landscapes, legends and tradition of sake making remain to this day. … Read More

David Davies [6th – 28th July 2017] Glorious Imperfection – the kintsugi drawings Private view: Thursday 6th July, 18:00 – 20:00 – Book your ticket here In the West, when a piece of ceramic gets broken, our inclination is to repair as invisibly as possible. The Japanese feel differently, and approach the task in an almost opposite way. They employ a technique known as `kintsugi’. Rather than try to hide the marks and cracks of breakage, they illuminate them with gold, silver, copper, or sometimes bright pigments that contrast vividly with the base colour of the ceramic. Their thinking comes from `wabi sabi’, a Japanese derivation of the Chinese Buddhist … Read More

Various [16th – 29th June 2017] Four ceramic artists from Japan, the UK and Italy explore aspects of Japanese art and culture through their work. Each artist, all from different backgrounds, is drawn towards a particular theme – ceramic tradition, aesthetics, philosophy and traditional theatre. Kiramics organically creates objects with functional and sculptural forms exploring different technical processes that are deeply influenced by Zen garden aesthetics and art of Haiku poetry. MORI makes individual functional and semi-functional ware influenced by the memories of his mother and grandmother’s traditional Japanese domestic pottery. JO AYLMER makes slip cast porcelain vessels that respond to the Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki’s statement, ‘Were it not for shadows, … Read More

Various – Curated by Tiger Tanuki [4th May – 10th June 2017] Tiger Tanuki presents a unique sales exhibition, tracing the history of the Japanese print from the classic ukiyo-e of the Edo period (1615-1867) to the modern shin hanga and sosaku hanga prints of the 20th century The exhibition features original works by renowned artists such as Utagawa Kunisada , probably the most popular and prolific ukiyo-e artist; Kawase Hasui , considered one of the most important Japanese landscape artists of the 20th century; and Ay-O, also known as the ‘rainbow artist’, who represented Japan at the Venice biennale in 1966. CHISOU http://www.chisourestaurant.com/ KIRI http://kiri-london.com/

Various [5th – 29th April 2017] Curated by Charlene Lam of Creative Clerkenwell, the selling exhibition will showcase contemporary art and interior objects that are inspired by Japan and created in London. Featured artists include designer-makers of Japanese heritage like ceramicist and RCA graduate Ikuko Iwamoto and creatives inspired by Japanese culture, including French visual artist Damien Borowik. Visitors are invited to add a touch of Japan to their own homes, with Japanese-inspired artwork and interior objects from UK designers available for sale or commission during the exhibition. The Sway Gallery shop also stocks products specially sourced from Japan. Creative Clerkenwell http://www.creativeclerkenwell.com/ FEATURED DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS Ikuko Iwamoto (ceramics) www.ikukoi.co.uk | … Read More

Nobuyuki Kobayashi [16th – 28th March 2017]   Portrait of Nature ~ Myriads of Gods Nobuyuki Kobayashi is a Japanese photographer who creates unique platinum palladium photo prints of nature. Kobayashi uses platinum printing, an old technique characterised by having the platinum lay on the surface of the paper while the final image is matte due to a deposit of platinum absorbed slightly into the paper. This gives a delicate and sophisticated finish to the photography. To utilize the original texture in the support of the print, Kobayashi uses ‘Hosokawa paper’, a kind of washi paper that is rich and full of texture and its manufacturing method has remained the same … Read More

Misako Okuyama 【24th – 31st Jan 2017】 In this exhibition, Dr Misako Okuyama represents various 心こころ’Kokoro’ in kanji, hiragana, katakana, and the Latin alphabet (English and French) using Japanese mineral painting, Japanese calligraphy and craft technique and skills on shikishi as three series artwork.  

Kaoru Shimada 【5th – 21st Jan 2017】 Mr. Dile Crocodile is a crocodile. But he has his own pride as a British gentleman. He was born in the Nile, on the edge of the river, but came to London by accident when he was a child. Since then he was brought up by a British couple Mr & Mrs Jones, like a normal kid in London…! Mr Dile Crocodile is an original character created by Kaoru Shimada who is a Japanese author of children’s ( childrens ではない) books as well as an illustrator. Mr Dile Crocodile darted out of her brain and became (becomeではない気が、、、) an independent creature. Now he has … Read More

Group exhibition 【22nd Nov – 22nd Dec 2016】 OPENING NIGHT: Thursday 24 November 2016, 6:00-8:00PM SWAY GALLERY is proud to present a three-person exhibition, ‘HEI/ SAY POP’ featuring Keita Miyazaki, Shigetoshi Furutani and Toru Ishii. HEI / SAY POP examines the inspirational power of Japanese culture and capitalism. In this exhibition, the three contemporary artists of the same generation, with a shared interest in the capitalism society after high economic growth and Japanese popular culture in the Heisei period (current era in Japan, started in 1989), cut through the reality and fantasy of contemporary society phenomena keenly with their art, and express discernment calmly. They also delve into alluring worlds … Read More