Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York

Since the 1950s, many Japanese artists have made their homes and careers in New York––some for enhanced exposure to the international art world or to challenge themselves to take their artwork in new directions, and others to escape restrictions faced in their native country. This fascinating book presents work by 33 important New York–based Japanese artists, ranging from young, emerging talent such as Misaki Kawai and Hiroki Otsuka to established luminaries such as Yoko Ono and Ushio Shinohara. These diverse artists work in a variety of media––including video, painting, fashion, architecture, sculpture, performance, drawing, photography, and sound.

Making a Home features a portfolio selection of the images, and essays situate the artists and their work within the broader themes that predominate Asian and international contemporary art. With a biography and bibliography on each artist––as well as a critical biography of Yayoi Kusama that reexamines her early years in New York––this handsome book also explores Japan Society’s pivotal role in supporting the careers of contemporary Japanese artists in New York.