Edutainment > 1st CAJ Show/Auction - Contemporary Artists of Japan

"A journey of 1,000 miles starts with a first small step." (Japanese/Chinese proverb)

Japanese Prints - Home
Mt. Fuji - Evening Glow, 1989
copyright Ryusei Okamoto

From October 19th until October 22 artelino holds its first CAJ Print Show/Auction - parallel to the 51st CWAJ print show. CAJ stands for Contemporary Artists Japan. The auction is meant to become an annual event to promote art prints by contemporary artists in Japan. The event was not planned by long hand, but we had the idea spontaneously when we held our catalog copy of the prestigious 51st CWAJ Print Show in our hands.

51 Years of CWAJ Print Shows

We want to express our appreciation of the Tokyo CAWJ print show. You guys inspired us to try something similar for the online world. With our first CAJ online auction we feel like riding on the back of the whale (you).

CWAJ stands for College Women of Japan. The College Women's Association of Japan (CWAJ) was founded in 1949. It has been a nonprofit, volunteer organization of Japanese and non-Japanese women interested in education, cross-cultural exchange, and friendship. The CAWJ print show is an annual event. It has developed from a fund raiser for a non-profit organization into one of the most important events (probably even THE most important one) for printmakers in Japan and friends of contemporary Japanese art prints from all over the world.

The late Oliver Statler had a leading role in establishing the annual CWAJ print show. Oliver Statler came to Japan after 1945 with the American occupation forces. His promotion for modern Japanese art after world war II is legendary and now a part of the art history of Japan.

First CAJ Show by artelino

artelino - Art Auctions
The Four Seasons, 2003-2005
copyright Paul Binnie

Our CAJ print show and auction presents Japanese printmakers and Western artists who have lived/been trained in Japan. Participants must meet two requirements: They must have been admitted by the prestigious CWAJ Print Show at least once in their life, and they must consign directly to artelino.

With the limitation to CWAJ admitted artists we want to make sure that the CAJ event is a premium event from the very beginning. We schedule it on purpose parallel to the annual CWAJ show. This does not mean that artelino has a policy to exclude younger and not yet established artists. On the contrary, but the annual CAJ show is designed to become a premium event in the online world for Japanese prints. Successful sales events with established artists will enable us to promote artists who have not yet reached the summit of fame.

We have started with artelino auctions 5 years ago in November/December 2001. At the beginning our sole focus were the classical fields of Japanese collector prints - ukiyo-e from the Edo and Meiji period and 20th century prints from the shin hanga and sosaku hanga movements. In early 2006 we decided to expand our operations into online auctions of contemporary Japanese prints consigned to us directly by artists. Although we are still in the very beginnings, we have made great steps forward since then. Communicating with artists on a daily basis and selling their art works has become a new and thrilling experience for us.

A Journey of a 1,000 Miles

Japanese Prints - Intro
First Love # 20, 2002
copyright Ryusei Okamoto

artelino's commitment into contemporary Japanese art is not planned as a short-lived excursion, but rather as a long journey of continuity. Although our personal chances to experience one day a 50th annual CAJ artelino show are - for purely biological reasons - rather low, we hope nevertheless it will happen one day without us, the founders and owners of the company. In September 2005 we hired our first helper. One year later we employ 8 part-time helpers - highly motivated young people who are a daily pleasure to work with. We have experienced and recognized that others can continue what we have started - with the same spirit and commitment for excellence and high ethic standards that have been our guidelines since our humble and difficult beginnings.

artelino is a commercial business. But it is more than that. It is a mission - a mission for new and more efficient and democratic ways to bring art to people, promote those who create art by helping them to sell and give them a fair share of the results, provide market transparency and enhance ethical principles in a market that has historically always eluded itself from the principles of open markets. To assure the continuation of our mission, we plan to grow stronger and transform artelino in the years ahead into the framework of a non-profit foundation that is viable to operate one day successfully beyond us.

The Artists

Our first CAJ show presents 7 artists. There could have been more. But our spontaneous plan came too much on short term for some artists like for instance Shigeko Inoue, whose mesmerizing, fairy-like images of waters and flowers we are missing much.

Here are the artists who fulfill the requirements for participation and who were quick enough to follow our spontaneous actions.

Paul BINNIE - born 1967

Paul Binnie - Biography
Cho Musubi - Butterfly Bow, 2005
copyright Paul Binnie

Paul Binnie is a young artist who is well known to an international audience. He spent more than 5 years in Tokyo where he created among other works a series of kabuki actor prints. In late 2002 he started a new project, a series "Famous Views of Japan". And in 2003, the first design "Summer" of a series of 4 bijin prints (beautiful women) caused a little sensation among friends of Japanese prints. Since then Paul Binnie has created several more bijin, landscapes and tattoo prints.

The artist is presented in this 1st CAJ show with a complete set of the 4 bijin prints titled "The Four Seasons" (shiki). The whole edition was commissioned by Bruce Tierney and Barry Stokes. The commission was placed under the condition to create a series of four most elaborate and lavish bijin prints that a skilled artist could possibly create. The creation of shiki was one of the most expensive projects in modern Japanese printmaking with professional Japanese live models and frequent travels by the artist between Tokyo, London and Tennessee (U.S.A.). The whole series was started in springtime of 2003 and could be completed in 2005. You can get more information about the creation of 'shiki' in an article written by Thomas Crossland and Andreas Grund - see Paul Binnie's new bijin-ga print "Summer".

The second print by Paul Binnie presented in this auction is Cho Musubi which was created in 2005. The artist wrote a personal announcement that we published on .

Of all artists presented in the first CAJ auction, Paul is the only one whom we know roughly since the foundation of our company in 2001. We have experienced him since then personally as a nice young man without any airs and graces, although in the meantime he has risen to an internationally recognized top artist.

Paul Binnie is easy to contact by e-mail. You usually get an answer within one day unless Paul is on a business or sketching and painting trip.

Artist's homepage: www.paulbinnie.co.uk/

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Yuji HIRATSUKA - born 1954

Yuji Hiratsuka
Nose Pincher, 1990
copyright Yuji Hiratsuka

Yuji Hiratsuka was born in Osaka, Japan. In 1985 he moved to the United States. Since 1992 he has been teaching printmaking at Oregon State University. His graphic work has been exhibited in the Americas, Europe and Asia and has received numerous awards in national and international competitions. His works are in The British Museum, Tokyo Central Museum, Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York Public Library and many others.

The graphic work of Yuji Hiratsuka is a witty and original synthesis of old Japanese ukiyo-e tradition and modern Western elements and has not only conquered numerous awards in national and international competitions, but also the hearts of an international community of collectors.

Mr. Yuji Hiratsuka does not have a web site but an e-mail address. If you want to contact him by e-mail, please send your request to us.

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Eimei MACHIDA - born 1959

Eimei Machida - Biography
When We Arrive at the Jupiter..., 2003
copyright Eimei Machida

Machida Eimei is a self-taught print artist from Nagano Prefecture in Japan. In 2005 his woodblock print When we arrive at the Jupiter was selected for the 50th anniversary of the prestigious print shows of CWAJ - the most important print exhibition for contemporary Japanese artists.

Mr. Eimei Machida was born in Nagano prefecture in 1959. He has a Ph.D degree from Tokyo University of Science. The artist masters a wide spectrum of styles and formats. His prints range from mini sizes to very large formats. His style varies from charming-naive "sosaku hanga" to technically perfectly rendered landscape prints. And the subjects are as diverse as the artist's sizes and styles.

Mr. Eimei Machida does not have a web site but an e-mail address. If you want to contact him by e-mail, please send your request to us.

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Ryusei OKAMOTO - born 1949

Ryusei Okamoto - Biography
White Fox - Temptation, 2006
copyright Ryusei Okamoto

".. Mr. Yoshimi Okamoto is unique, a fact which I would like the world to know." ( Toshi Yoshida about Ryusei Okamoto, formerly known as Yoshimi Okamoto).

Whenever we write something about Ryusei Okamoto we love to put this citation by the great printmaker Toshi Yoshida at the beginning of our text.

Toshi Yoshida (1911-1995) made this statement in 1982. The young artist Ryusei Okamoto, then under his born name of Yoshimi Okamoto, was Toshi Yoshida's student. Those who know Toshi Yoshida's personality a little closer - for instance from stories by other students of his like Micah Schwaberow - know that Toshi Yoshida would never have said and published this statement if it had not been his deepest conviction.

Having seen prints by Ryusei Okamoto, you can only agree with Toshi Yoshida's words. Nevertheless, we want to add one more statement. We think that the art of Ryusei Okamoto is also very Japanese, non-conformist and masters the techniques of all aspects of woodblock printmaking to a degree of perfection that is hard to find anywhere else.

We owe Mr. Ryusei Okamoto a lot. After the retrospective with Paul Binnie in autumn 2005, he was the second artist with whom we had made a solo auction. And it has been the most successful solo auction we have ever had with a contemporary artist. Two hours after auction start 90% of all lots were sold. Needless to say that we ended with 100% sold and a fantastic result.

Since we got into business with Mr. Ryusei Okamoto in late 2005/early 2006 he has actively helped us to get into contact with other Japanese artists. And we have experienced Mr. Ryusei Okamoto not only as a great artist, but a perfectionist in everything that he does. Whether it is his printing quality or the impeccable packing and shipping, he does everything with zero tolerance towards himself.

In this auction, the artist is represented with the majority of the prints offered. Many works have never been shown before on our site including his latest work "White Fox - Temptation". The artist has documented the process of creation in an illustrated diary. By all means take a look at it on Diary of Carving Woodblocks. You can also find excerpts on artelino's web site on How to Make a Woodblock Print.

To contact the artist is easy. He speaks English very well and likes to get into contact with people who appreciate his art works.

Artist's homepage: www.ryusei-okamoto.com

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Tadashi OSAKA - born 1937

Tadashi Osaka - Biography
Casares (7), 2001
copyright Tadashi Osaka

Tadashi Osaka was born in Osaka prefecture. He had studied under Fumio Kitaoka and Waichi Hayashi. Tadashi Osaka creates elaborate woodblock prints with town and village views and landscapes scenes from Mediterranean countries like Portugal and Spain and of Japan, of course. In 2006 the artist has contributed to the prestigious annual CWAJ shows for the 5th time where he caused wide attention among visitors and artist colleagues.

Tadashi Osaka has two things in common with Hiroshi Yoshida: he has acquired a great mastership of the technique of Japanese woodblock printmaking and he is a real cosmopolitan. Japanese print subjects need not be restricted to temples and pagodas. Since a sketching trip to Spain in the 1990s Tadashi Osaka has discovered the charm of old medieval villages and towns of South European countries - Spain, Portugal and Italy.

If you want to get into contact with Mr. Tadashi Osaka and you do not speak Japanese, use Italian or unsophisticated English. E-Mail conversation with him is easy and uncomplicated.

Artist's homepage: homepage3.nifty.com/g-osaka/index.htm

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Joshua ROME - born 1953

Biography of Joshua Rome
On the Surface, 1988
copyright Joshua Rome

Joshua Rome is an American who lived with his family for 25 years in a small hamlet in the hills near Kyoto/Japan chronicling the life of his rural neighbors. He was born in Hartford, CT, USA. His teachers were Clifton Karhu and Kuroda Kenkichi. In 1998 Joshua Rome and his family returned to the U.S.A. and now live in Vermont. Joshua Rome is an internationally established and renowned artist whose works are in major museums and who is represented by top galleries like Yoseido, Verne Collection, Ren Brown, Ronin or Azuma Gallery. In October 2005 Joshua Rome exhibited at the prestigious CWAJ Show in Toyko for the 21st year.

Because Joshua Rome had started his woodblock printmaking career as an apprentice to Clifton Karhu, you might expect that at least his early works were done in the style of his first teacher. Wrong. The artwork created by Joshua Rome is different and very genuine. If his works can be compared to anything created before in art history, a comparison with the French impressionists comes closest to truth. And indeed, the two greatest role models for the artist are the French painter Claude Monet and the Japanese woodblock master Hiroshi Yoshida.

Mr. Joshua Rome is nice, uncomplicated and straight forward. We were in business with him via e-mail within 5 minutes. If you want to contact him, please go to his web site.

Artist's homepage: Joshua Rome woodblock prints

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Osamu SUGIYAMA - born 1946

Osamu Sugiyama - Biography
Mt. Fuji above the Clouds, 1998
copyright Osamu Sugiyama

Osamu Sugiyama was born in Tokyo. He had studied at the Toshida Hanga Academy under Toshi Yoshida. The artist had several solo exhibitions in Tokyo over the last years. He was selected for the 50th anniversary exhibition of the prestigious CWAJ print shows at the American club in Tokyo in October of 2005. His prints are in the collection of the US Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

Osamu Sugiyama combines two great passions - climbing mountains all over the world and carving the experiences, impressions and memories of his treks into woodblock prints. The artist exhibited his works at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious CWAJ Print Show in Tokyo in October 2005. It was his first CWAJ show and Osamu Sugiyama caused wide attention and approval by critics and visitors.

Mr. Osamu Sugiyama does not have a web site but an e-mail address. If you want to contact him by e-mail, please send your request to us.

To find more information about the artist on artelino' s web site, please use the search function on top of this page.

Dieter Wanczura
(October 2006, updated April 2009)

Literature

Oliver Statler, "Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn", C. Tuttle, Tokyo, 1956, ISBN No. is 0-8048-0406-0.

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