Greenberg Van Doren Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of recent work by Japanese artist Katsura Funakoshi. The exhibition Katsura Funakoshi: New Sculpture is on view from April 3 through May 3, 2008 and is accompanied by a fully illustrated color catalogue with an in-depth essay by art critic Phyllis Tuchman. Known for his marble and camphor wood figurative carvings, Funakoshi has exhibited internationally for over forty years and has been included in prestigious exhibitions such as Documenta, The Venice Biennale, and the Sao Paolo Biennale. This is the artist’s first exhibition in North America in 14 years and his first with Greenberg Van Doren Gallery.

The exhibition will feature seven carved sculptures and related drawings. Funakoshi’s recent output includes half-length busts and figures – both male and female – which carry disproportionately sized heads and/or limbs. To great poetic effect, the artist lengthens necks or displaces hands, arms, or ears so that they appear as wings or horns. With their lips closed and their eyes gazing straight ahead, these subtly painted and polished figures are contemplative and contemporary, grounded by history while at the same time forging towards an imaginary future. Funakoshi’s work engages the past, fantasy and reality, and invites a loaded dialogue between East and West. His work expresses a mystery and spirituality rarely seen in contemporary sculpture.

Katsura Funakoshi was born 1951 in Morioka City and currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. He was educated at Tokyo Zokei University and the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Funakoshi has exhibited in galleries and museums in his over forty year career and his work is included in major museum collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.

Selected Works from the Exhibition