ITALY – JAPAN
Japanese artists in Milan since 1960s
Il progetto rilegge la storia dell’arte moderna mettendo al centro lo scambio culturale come motore dell’innovazione prima della globalizzazione. Artisti come Katsumi Nakai, Tomonori Toyofuku, Nobuya Abe, Key Hiraga e Aiko Miyawaki hanno unito sensibilità orientali e forme europee, anticipando una visione transnazionale dell’arte.
La mostra resterà aperta fino al 30 aprile 2026
Dal lunedì al venerdì, dalle ore 11.00 alle ore 13.00 e dalle ore 14.00 alle 18.00
Leggi la rassegna stampa ITALY-JAPAN
Riprendono gli incontri in galleria.
I prossimi due appuntamenti: Clicca qui
Info a press@studiogariboldi.com
WOOD
The Japanese sculptor #TomonoriToyofuku often used mahogany wood in his sculptures for reasons related both to formal research and to the physical characteristics of the material.
Tomonori Toyofuku’s works are characterized by pierced abstract forms and repeated oval motifs, created by carving and perforating the material to produce a strong three-dimensional effect and a play between solid and empty spaces. He often used mahogany because it is strong but easy to carve, allowing him to create deep cuts and precise cavities while keeping the sculpture structurally solid. His technique was subtractive, meaning he removed material to reveal the final form. Mahogany also has aesthetic qualities such as a warm color, regular grain, and smooth finish, which enhance the surfaces and highlight the relationship between light, form, and empty space.
🔸Mahogany wood has long been a symbol of prestige, strength, elegance, and tradition.
1.Tomonori Toyofuku, Untitled, 1987, carved wood, 42 × 23 × 18 cm. Detail.
2.Tomonori Toyofuku, Untitled, 1985, shaped wood, 115 × 85 × 6 cm. Detail.
3.Tomonori Toyofuku’s working tools. Courtesy @natsuko_toyofuku
4. installation view Italy–Japan. Japanese Artists in Milan since 1960s. Studio Gariboldi, Milan.
🔸Italy–Japan. Japanese Artists in Milan since 1960s
Untile 30 April 2026
Mon-Fri | 11am-1pm / 2-6pm
Corso Monforte 23, 20122, Milan
🎧 @brianeno is a British composer and producer, widely considered a pioneer of ambient music.
Since the 1970s, his experimental approach has reshaped the relationship between sound, art, and technology.
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#studiogariboldi #giovannigariboldi #modernjapaneseart
#KeyHiraga (1936–2000, Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese artist. In 1972, the Italian public first encountered his work in Milan. His paintings blend irony with voyeuristic surrealism, creating intricate compositions refined down to the smallest detail. In 2015, #StudioGariboldi presented a solo exhibition dedicated to his work.
✨ Upcoming exhibition May 2026#
Pictures:
1. K.Hiraga, 1972
2. K.Hiraga, galleria del Naviglio, 1972
3. K.Hiraga, solo show Studio Gariboldi, 2015
4. K.Hiraga and T.Toyofuku, galleria del Naviglio, 1972
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday
11am - 1pm | 2pm - 6pm
Corso Monforte 23 - 20122, Milan
Info in DM or press@studiogariboldi.com
🎧Kuniyuki Takahashi is a Japanese producer and composer known for blending deep house, jazz, and ambient electronics. His music combines organic instruments and synthesizers, creating hypnotic, atmospheric soundscapes.
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#japaneseartists #giovannigariboldi
✨Studio Gariboldi is pleased to announce the exhibition ITALY-JAPAN, Japanese artists in Milan since 1960s.
The project offers a renewed perspective on the history of modern art, highlighting cultural exchange as a central driver of artistic innovation well before globalization became a defining paradigm. Artists such as #KatsumiNakai, #TomonoriToyofuku, #NobuyaAbe, #KeyHiraga and #AikoMiyawaki developed original approaches to abstract painting and sculpture by merging Eastern sensibilities with European formal structures, anticipating by decades a transnational understanding of artistic practice.
🔹Through a focused curatorial framework, Studio Gariboldi reconstructs the narrative of a unique cultural bridge, largely absent from dominant international accounts. The exhibition proposes abstraction as a shared field of experimentation, neither exclusively European nor uniquely Japanese, shaped through dialogue, movement, and exchange.
The exhibition presents a selection of works by Japanese artists supported by the gallery in recent years and is accompanied by previously unpublished archival documentation from the 1960s and 1970s.
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10 February - 30 April 2026
Monday to Friday
11am - 1pm | 2pm - 6pm
Corso Monforte 23 - 20122, Milan
Info in DM or press@studiogariboldi.com
✨Last day at @artgeneve – Salon d’Art 2026
Visit our Booth C47 to discover Italy–Japan, a project on Japanese artists active in Italy during the 1960s.
🕛 Opening hours
12 PM – 6 PM
🔹On view:
#NobuyaAbe
#TomonoriToyofuku
#AikoMiyawaki
#KatsumiNakai
Special guest #PieroDorazio
The project is supported by @consolato_giapponese
✨«Object 46-104» de Katsumi Nakai est la nouvelle acquisition du MAMCO @mamco_geneve dans le cadre d’Art Genève!
#KatsumiNakai, «Object 46-104», 1973, Acrylique et huile sur contreplaqué.
Katsumi Nakai est né en 1927 à Hirakata, dans la préfecture d’Osaka. Son parcours l’a conduit à Milan, une ville qui l’a profondément impressionné et qui est devenue la dernière étape de son voyage «suivant le soleil». Nakai a été proche du cercle d’artistes que le critique d’art Guido Ballo a décrit en 1967 comme la «Nouvelle École de Milan». Parmi eux, il a fait la connaissance de Tomonori Toyofuku et de Lucio Fontana, qui joueront un rôle fondamental dans la formation de sa vision artistique.
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#studiogariboldi #modernart #artgeneve2026 #giovannigariboldi
Third day in Geneva, at the Salon d’Art @artgeneve.
Art Genève 2026. Friday from 12 PM to 8 PM. Saturday from 12 PM to 7 PM, Sunday from 12 PM to 6 PM.
✨Exhibition dates
28.01 – 01.02.2026
🔹On view:
#NobuyaAbe
#TomonoriToyofuku
#AikoMiyawaki
#KatsumiNakai
Special guest #PieroDorazio
The project is supported by @consolato_giapponese
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studiogariboldi modernart artgeneve2026 giovannigariboldi modernjapaneseart artgallery milan geneve
