New Gallery on LES Showcases Emerging Contemporary Artists
Gallery
Stepping into this space feels like entering the set of a Stanley Kubrick film. The room has pure white walls and glossy panels, and tunnels going forth into a futuristic and surreal world.
However, this is neither the entrance to another world nor a movie set but the contemporary art gallery KUMUKUMU, which has just opened on the Lower East Side. Designed by Spanish architect Ivan Pazos, the 550 square foot room is divided into three spaces by black arch panels that evoke shikki, or Japanese lacquer ware. “We chose the panels carefully to fit into the space. It reflects people and the artwork as they walk by, and adds another frame to the work. It accentuates the room,” says Ms. Atsumi Fujita, a Japanese gallerist and executive director of the gallery.
Settled in an area blossoming with new galleries, KUMUKUMU represents emerging and internationally-recognized artists of all media. “We do not want to be so commercially-oriented. It would be nice if we could work with artists who we really respect and promote their art,” says Fujita. Their inaugural exhibition BUN, which opens on October 23, embodies this approach. It is a group exhibition of emerging and established artists that explores the potent symbolism and imagery of the bunny rabbit. With artists from Japan, France and the US, the exhibition takes a cross-cultural look at representations of the rabbit, probing beyond the traditional notions of innocence and fertility.
As for future projects, KUMUKUMU plans to host exhibitions on gender and social issues, with an environmentally sensitive agenda. The gallery also aims to collaborate with locals to preserve the old while creating the new. “We are new to this area and hope to develop along with the community,” adds Ms. Fujita, expressing her desire to put roots in the Lower East Side.
KUMUKUMU Gallery
42 Rivington St. (bet. Eldridge and Forsyth Sts.), New York NY 10002
TEL: 212-677-5160 / www.kumukumugallery.com
