AsiaStore Spotlights: Nasser Ovissi

“My work is dedicated to the beauty of life and I hope those who experience my work will walk way with an experience of beauty.”
- Nasser Ovissi

Ovissi is one of the living legends of Contemporary Iranian art, helping initiate the modern art movement in Iran in the 1960s. A painter, sculptor, engraver, designer and goldsmith, Ovissi continues to be an inspiration in the field, firmly established as a brilliant and versatile international artist whose passionate work presents a unique blend of European, Persian and contemporary art.

“Beauty is my main motivation in life. It has drawn me to the creative process and caused my art to be a reflection of all things I find to embody beauty. I pay homage to the horse because it is a creature that has served man in innumerable ways. The horse encompasses beauty, elegance and strength. I also honor the beauty of women in my work. Women and horses are always companions and they are complimented by rich colors, instruments, pomegranates and flowers.”

AsiaStore is proud to present the work of this dynamic artist.


Highlights include:


Hand painted ceramic bowls, plates and vases, featuring 18 karat gold detailing, signed by the artist.

Limited edition prints saturated with wonderful Persian mythology and folklore and complimented by rich colors and bold lines.

Limited edition silk scarves and ties blending modern design with ancient Persian folklore.

Visit AsiaStore to see more of Nasser Ovissi’s accessories collection.

AsiaStore Spotlights Asian American Designers

Asian American Heritage month is underway and AsiaStore is proud to feature the inspiring works of talented Asian American designers and artisans. Highlights include ceramics by Karen Ford, metalwork by Nima Oberoi, silk jackets by Richard Tsao, scarves and shawls by Han Feng and Yuh Okano, jewelry by Coomi Bhasin, Rita Chung, Hannah Ha, Kristina Kada, Alice Kuo, Zina Kao, Rosena Sammi and stationery by Nayana Jha.

"AsiaStore is a unique retail environment that showcases the creative works of Asian and Asian American artisans," said Anne Godshall, AsiaStore's Chief Merchandising Officer. "Special outreach, such as designer showcases, have enabled AsiaStore to promote exciting new designers, many of whom are being shown exclusively at the Asia Society. AsiaStore's efforts to offer a venue for the works of Asian and Asian American artisans goes hand in hand with the Museum's efforts to bring traditional and contemporary Asian and Asian American art to a broader audience."

Designer Spotlight: Polli Jewelry- designed to be unique

Australians Maja Bartlett and Tess Llyod are the creative inspiration behind Polli designs. The duo met in 1999 while studying Industrial Design at the University of Technology in Sydney - Polli was born of the duo's shared interests in design, craft culture, and fashion.

Polli designs are strongly influenced by the pairs' respective backgrounds and cultural experiences gleaned through study and travel. The collection features bold and unique designs that play with form, pattern and light. The pieces are etched from thin sheets of metal, creating intricate patterns that are both light and comfortable to wear.

Shop AsiaStore for the latest Polli designs !

AsiaStore: Niche Award Nominee !

AsiaStore has been selected as a nominee in Niche magazine's 2008 Top Retailer Awards in the category of "Best In Store Event" for AsiaStore's 2007 Designer Showcase. Sponsored by Niche magazine, the exclusive trade publication for progressive retailers of fine craft, the Top Retailer Awards program recognizes the nation's best retailers for growing and strengthening the American Craft community. Niche polled more than 10,000 professional craft artists throughout North America who nominated galleries, retail stores, museums and guilds for the 2008 Top Retailer Awards.

AsiaStore's Japanese Focus

In conjunction with Asia Society's opening of the exhibition Designed for Pleasure: The World of Edo Japan in Prints and Paintings, AsiaStore presents a focus on Japanese design. Stop by AsiaStore to see our wonderful assortment of heirloom hina and kokeshi dolls, vintage obi pillows, kimonos quilts by Karen Brock and textiles by Alex, Sugahara glass sake sets, batik accessories by Tomako Hiraco, origami paper, washi paper tea canisters and cast iron teapots, and many more products that delight and surprise! Pick up a copy of the exhibition catalog in store or explore our selection of recommended reading online at AsiaStore.org.

AsiaStore Focus: Contemporary Japanese Textiles

Throughout Japanese history, textiles have evolved into an exquisite art form that subtly conveys elegance and style. The unique qualities of the textiles, achieved through the skills of individual artisans. AsiaStore is proud to feature the work of 2 contemporary textile artists whose work reflects an indulgence for unique materials, innovative techniques and meticulous, time consuming artistic detail.



NUNO
NUNO weaves art and science into an exciting range of new expressions in contemporary fabric. Threads with "incompatible" shrink ratios are intertwined and tossed into a hot dryer to yield unprecedented sculptural textures. Metallic films are bonded to conventional threads, then melted to create transparent filigrees. Computer-programmed looms dance to digitally-enhanced African tribal patterns. Chemically-reprocessed Okinawan banana fiber-coated cottons complement laboriously hand-finished synthetics. That is the creativity of NUNO.


Textiles Yuh
Japanese textile designer Yuh Okano is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design. The designer divides her time between her home in New York, and Kiryu Japan, where her fabrics are produced. Her one of a kind fabrics reflect her attraction to the delicate patterns and textures found in nature; the scent of the air after a storm, the soft patter of raindrops on wet grass, falling leaves as they twirl through the sky.

The Traditional Kimono Reinterpreted

Kimonos, the national costume of Japan, have traditionally been worn for special occasions such as tea ceremonies and weddings. One only needs to look to the runways to see how they serve as inspiration for many of today's designers. These T-shaped robes have also found new life in the creations of AsiaStore designers Georganne Alex and Karen Brock.


Alex
Designer Georganne Alex is recognized for combining vintage kimono fabric and contemporary silk by weaving the two fibers together in her accessories collection. Her use of the pin weaving technique allows one to see and appreciate the unique qualities and beauty of the individual fabrics. Alex finds great satisfaction in creating new from old – the excitement that comes from seeing and feeling fresh patterns, textures and colors emerge as the various fabrics unite.


Karen Brock
If you combine a textile artist, an entrepreneur, and a person who loves traveling in Southeast Asia, you'll find Karen Brock. An Oregon based artist, Karen travels to Japan twice a year where she seeks out the unique kimonos that become the basis for her quilts. Her favored kimonos to work with are furisode, the formal long sleeved kimonos for unmarried women with colorful patterns that cover the entire garment, and tomesode, worn by married women with patterns limited beneath the waistline. Both decorative and practical, her quilts can be diplayed as wall hangings or draped over the back of a couch for a splash of color.

Visit AsiaStore at Asia Society and Museum to view and purchase the unique work of Karen Brock and Alex.