Notes From The City: An Abundant Life - International Connections

The lovely Manesha Lakhiani invited me to an opening reception at Seizan Gallery in Chelsea recently. She had met the owner, Seiko Yamada, while she was traveling on business in the Philippines, right before the New York Gallery had opened, and when it was time for their one year anniversary celebration Manesha invited me to join her there. I have worked with Artists of all kinds for many years, and I have lived in New York City even longer, and I've attended so many gallery shows of different kinds that if I tried to count them all it would be impossible. But one thing that never changes is my love for beautiful spaces and beautiful work, and I've found over the years that the design of the spaces and the choices of work reflect the spirit of the Gallery Owners and Curators who inhabit them. I'm not in any way a snob about art or design - I can be inspired in an abandoned and crumbling pier as much as in a pristine penthouse loft, and I've discovered that it's the Owner, Director and Curator who can give the space a feeling that makes us want to stay and that opens the art up to a longer examination and reflection for the viewer.

Seizan Gallery is the kind of gallery that gives a visitor such a feeling of peace and beauty that it would be possible to stay there for hours. Even on the night of the opening party and celebration for the first year anniversary and expansion of the gallery space I had a glimpse of the feeling of what it must be like during an average day. I wanted to sit and contemplate the art, daydream and be inspired, and the feeling in the gallery is such a powerfully beautiful one that I could have done that even with all the ebb and flow of people coming and going and talking and walking throughout the rooms during the opening.

The gallery was started in Tokyo where there is still the first branch of it, at a time when it was very rare for a woman to own a gallery, never mind start one in her own home as Seiko Yamada did at the time. She has since moved it to Ginza, the most fashionable and integral area to view art in Tokyo, and over time decided to start a new location in New York. Her New York Director, Sayaka Toyoma, is as lovely and intelligent as she is, and both are well versed in the art world and market as well as having the aesthetic sensibility necessary to curate, choose and hang shows well. Together they work between the two worlds of Tokyo and New York, discussing and comparing and discerning the work that will be best suited to the art lovers, buyers and investors in each market.

When I sat down to talk with Sayaka Toyoma, we had such an interesting and inspiring conversation that I felt as if I'd taken a course in contemporary art. I learned so much from her in the time we shared together because her wealth of knowledge and interest in her subject is so detailed and important in her pursuit of excellence. It was refreshing to have a conversation like that, as refreshing as the chilled green tea that had been offered to me by the lovely and knowledgeable Gallery Assistant Hope Steiner on my arrival. And as the afternoon turned more golden and the light drifted through the windows from the street above, I found myself being immersed in the still and vibrant beauty of the work all around me. With the utilization of techniques speaking of years of diligent training and practice, each piece contains so much life and history. Over time the gallery will be offering classes and hands on learning experiences in the techniques that some of the Artists practice. This is a beautiful way that light and life is passed from one generation to the next and from one country to another. This is the way of progress, of finding the conversation between the art and the viewer, from one Artist to the next. It is the way of growing and learning that is most enjoyable and beneficial, because as we experience the joy of creativity our minds open up to new possibilities.

Seizan Gallery
521 West 26th Street
New York, New York
https://seizan-gallery.com/