Category Archives: Pick Up

Sep 25 2016
Exhibition, Pick Up

Artist Interview | Cat Rabbit

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After the exciting interview with Philippa Rice from our current exhibition “The Strange Hearts Club”, we are even more excited to introduce another interview with Cat Rabbit.

If you missed  our interview with Philippa, you can click HERE and visit the interview. Makes “The Strange Hearts Club” is on view through October 4th, 2016.

~Interview with Cat Rabbit.~

Q1- Please tell us a little bit about your background…

I first started making little plush toys for friends when I was studying at university. My interest in textiles grew from there and I began experimenting with embroidery and 3D felt techniques. I am now a full-time practicing textile artist, based in Melbourne, Australia. I make plush sculptural works of my imagined characters and the worlds they might live in. I also make books for Children and other fantastical artworks with my collaborator and good pal Isobel Knowles under the name Soft Stories.

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Q2 -What was the first work of art that you saw or experienced that you still remember today? 

I grew up in Tasmania, in a very small country town. Every week, my Mum used to take us to the Launceston Museum and I remember just staring for ages at the detailed dioramas of prehistoric animal habitats and dinosaur bones.

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Q3 -Who were your earliest influencers of famous artists or creators? 

Richard Scarry and Beatrix Potter have definitely been my longest serving inspirations! I have many old, battered copies of their books from my childhood that I refer back to over and over again. Their ability to create not only beautiful characters, but worlds for their characters to exist in, is something I strive for myself.

 

 

 

Q4 – Please tell us about your work… What do you make?

I make soft sculptures of my imagined characters using needle felt and 3D felting techniques.

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Q5 -What generally inspires or influences you to create your work?

I like to devise new characters all the time! I get an idea in my head or sketch something out and am not satisfied until I work it up into a 3D character.

Q6 -What is the main challenge for you when creating your work? 

I like my work to engage a wide audience, so there are elements that appeal to young children and also an older generation. My main objective when creating new work for exhibition is to incite feelings of comfort, joy and nostalgia – when I make a piece that encapsulates all of these elements, I am satisfied with the work!

 

Q7 -What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a series of food related characters: a Croissant pâtissière, a Dango delivery person and a Egg headed egg farmer – I am increasingly fascinated by absurd characters made up of inanimate objects, like food, and I’m enjoying experimenting with new and weird themes.

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Q8 -What is your dream or goal as an artist in 3 years? 5 years? 

I am addicted to sewing new things, so if I’m still able to do that, then I’ll be happy ^_^

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Lastly, Do you have any message to visitors for this exhibition? 

Please enjoy these new characters that Philippa and I have made as part of the Strange Hearts Club! Online dating is a new world of crazy possibility that really fascinates me, and I wanted to explore what my characters would look like if they were plunged in to this world!

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-Please tell up what we should check out / should not miss in this exhibition. 

The Koala! I have wanted to make a koala for some time, and it’s one of my favorite new creations (particularly the Rilakkuma phone case).

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Jan 03 2016
Exhibition, Pick Up

Artist Spotlight: HARIMOGURA

HARIMOGURA is an artist name of two artists Jin and Aya.

Together, they create fully hand crafted planters. They design, modeling and hand paint each planter, like a sculpture. Aya and Jin make different works. Jin is specialized in making industrial or house like shaped planters. Aya is specializing in animals.

This is very first time for them to bring their works to New York City and so that you can actually see their planters at our gallery this winter. You can also purchase their work at AG Gallery while the works are on view.

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Handcrafted Planters by Harimogura at AG Show Window SpaceHARIMOGURA ～Art planter～

 Jin & Aya
 ABOUT
 "HARIMOGURA is our artist name, and it means Echidna in English.
 Our small small planters are handmade. They are made of resin.
 Since it is so small, you can put it on the windowsill or desk.
 Even though it's so small, there is an enough presence.
 Each planter is a mixed art of the artistic object and little plants, that will produce a nice space.
 We have been working at a modeling company, and we have been always creating big things there. 
One day, we began to make stuffs by ourselves after work. It is a small modeling that can be placed anywhere.
 Also, we love nature.
 Art planter of the HARIMOGURA was created on the idea combining two different materials, resin and little plant.
 We created our unique style a long time ago under the name HARIMOGURA.
We love echidna as a peaceful animal. That’s why we want to spread our own style to the world."-Jin & Aya

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May 02 2014
Exhibition, News, Pick Up

New Artists from Japan

Happy May Day all.

We just started to show the works by two of Japanese artists from Tokyo, Mari Hanzawa and Yori Nakamura. Please feel free to swing by our gallery space for Mari Hanzawa’s knitted Japanese KOKESHI dolls and Yori Nakamura’s handmade accessories made with vintage button collections, their works will be here limited time period.

MARI HANZAWA

1985 Started career as model in Tokyo
1990 Work as photographer manager at Hanzawa studio
2011 Volunteering after Earthquake in Tohoku for her hometown

2012 Started to create Coquesienne

2013 First solo exhibition at Gallery @btf in Kachidoki, Tokyo
2014 “SICF15” at Spiral in Aoyama

Message from MARI

Right after huge earthquake had happened on March 11, 2011, I went back to my hometown in Miyagi every month for volunteering. Though I’ve done so many things to get people back to normal life there as a volunteer, I would like to do something special as an artist to cheer up people in Tohoku; it was the time when”Coquesienne” knitted doll which has shape of KOKESHI was born. KOKESHI is one of the most famous souvenirs which is handmade wooden doll made by local craftsman in Miyagi prefecture from Edo era (late 18th century). I would like to continue creating them and be a new icon of restoration of Tohoku, Japan.

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YORI NAKAMURA

Graduated from Bunka Fashion College in Display Design Major
After she had worked as Window Display Designer at department stores, Visual Merchandiser and Food Coordinator, she started her career as a Button Artist. She has done many exhibition at various venues in Tokyo, also teaches classes “how to create button art pieces”. At this time, we exhibit her button x zipper necklaces, brooches, zip earrings, and more.

Message from YORI

There was a picture from one of my friends who was in a support activity group of elementary schools in Nepal. “They don’t have even a spare button for their school uniform.” Me and my friends decided to establish a fund for buttons, then we received hundreds of colorful buttons over many years. As I see many of buttons in different colors, shapes and materials, they get me to creating something and I end up with those accessories.

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For more details about artists and works, please feel free to email us at chiharu@aboutglamour.net

Mar 28 2014
News, Pick Up

Artist Pick Up: APAK

Where is your Spring? Ours is here, AG Gallery. Currently, many of new art prints which are perfect for your new season’s room decor are on display: the works by one of our favorite artists, APAK (Aaron + Ayumi) from Portland, OR. Most of prints were all gone in few months, so we just received some of back-in-stocks and brand new ones.

As many people love their works so far and we have been asked so many times about them, we did a brief interview with Aaron and Ayumi about them and their works.  Hope you enjoy and get the idea how their unique and sweet art pieces are created.

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