Free Fish >–:►The Art of Yuken Teruya
February 20–April 29, 2007

Happy Meal Crossing (Korea) (detail) 2005 Paper and glue 3 5/8 x 6 x 11 1/4 inches Private collection, New York, New York Photograph courtesy of Josee Bienvenu Gallery

This February, artist Yuken Teruya will unveil a new work at Asia Society, inspired by a Ming-dynasty Chinese porcelain jar that he selected from Asia Society’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. He will develop the new work through his imaginary and intimate dialogue with the collection piece in a manner that reflects the essence of his art—extreme sensitivity to and respect for material, craft, and the environment.

Free Fish >–:►The Art of Yuken Teruya will be Teruya’s first solo museum presentation in New York, and is part of an ongoing series of exhibitions in which contemporary artists are commissioned to create new works of art using a work of their choice from Asia Society’s collection as a source of inspiration.

Born in 1973 in Okinawa, Japan, and currently based in New York, Yuken Teruya is best known for his intricate cut-paper art. Teruya carves out silhouettes of trees from discarded fast-food bags. These cut-outs are then folded into the space inside of the salvaged bags, resulting in miniature dioramas.

Yuken Teruya is a recipient of the 2002 Aldrich Emerging Artist Award. His work has been shown in museums all over the world, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York; Kunstverein Wiesbaden, Germany; and Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, among others.

Free Fish is curated by Miwako Tezuka, Assistant Curator, Asia Society in association with Yang Yingshi, Asia Society Museum Fellow.

This exhibition was made possible with generous support from Jill and Jay Bernstein, Glenn Fuhrman, Wayne and Shoshana Blank, Asia Society Contemporary Art Council, the Sheryl and Charles R. Kaye Endowment for Contemporary Art Exhibitions, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Courtesy of Josée Bienvenu Gallery and Shoshana Wayne Gallery.

Swinging London, (Smythson) (detail) Paper and glue 3 1/2 x 12 x 10 inches Courtesy of Josée Bienvenu Gallery

Covered Jar China, Jiangxi Province Ming Period, Jiajing era, 1522–1566 Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels (Jingdezhen ware) H. 47 cm; Diam. 40 cm Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.182a,b Photograph by Lynton Gardiner