New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show (NYAAJ) spotlights multidisciplinary contemporary art and design with strong emphasis on materiality and craft inspirations in its inaugural CONTEMPORARY SPOTLIGHT, a special section within the fair, opening at the fair's new venue, Pier 94 (711 12th Ave, New York City), on Wednesday, November 9th.

Among the section's offerings by international roster of exhibitors hailing from ten different cities around the globe, of particular note are works by artists who channel contemporary ethos while innovating upon traditional craft media – including ceramics, glass, and metal.

Gallery Koo (Seoul, Korea) presents sculptures by Eui-Jeong Yoo who observes capitalism and materialism in his lustrous ceramic forms. Capitalist iconography represented by logos of global consumer brands as well as pop culture icons infiltrates and overwhelms the ceramic vessels whose formal qualities largely remain traditional. With impressive technical versatility, Yoo treats the ancient craft medium in a decidedly “contemporary” manner through the way he freely combines luster, decals, bronze, resin, and sometimes even motors and neons. Yoo has participated in numerous exhibitions at leading institutions including the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan, the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale (2013), and the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (2015).

Clark Priftis (New York, US) presents acclaimed glass artist Abby Modell. Modell draws inspirations from nature – rocks, planets, and orbital movements. Modell's Moon Cube collection comprises of ethereal hand-blown glass sculptures set with Swarovski crystals. Modell participated in numerous exhibitions including Architectural Digest Design Show (2012-2016), SOFA Chicago (2015 & 2013), Serpentine Sackler Gallery Furniture Exhibition, London (2014), solo exhibitions at Wynn Las Vegas (2015 & 2013), the International Santorini Biennale of Arts (2012) and the famous FABERGE BIG EGG HUNGT NEW YORK (2014). Modell's work is frequently featured in leading design magazines such as Interior Design Magazine, Hamptons, and NYC&G.

Villa del Arte (Barcelona, Spain) highlights sculptures by Lluis Cera and Liechennay. Spanish sculptor Lluis Cera renders hefty materials such as solid iron or marble in surprisingly soft and light forms that appear to defy their weight and mass. Cera's inspirations often originate from literature, the texts from which are carved or applied to the surfaces of his work. The titles of the works may provide leads to the stories they tell, yet leaving the work completely open to interpretation. Indonesian artist Liechennay masterfully transforms his principal material of choice, cold and rigid steel, into organic and fluid forms. Each sculpture, a combination of stainless steel, wood and copper, is an individually welded and shaped unique piece. Liechennay bends, shapes and joins together thousands of stainless steel pieces one by one in order to compose the final sculpture. Liechennay's penchant for sculpture-making was formed early through exposure to the works by the artist's mother who was a designer of gold jewelry. Over the years, Liechennay worked and exhibited internationally, including in the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Indonesia, and the U.S.

Art jewelry specialist Charon Kransen (New York, US) presents an exciting collection of jewelry by both renowned and emerging artists, many of whose work can be found in museum and private collections around the world. The focus is on the artists' personal vision and on an innovative approach, characterized by the use of a wide spectrum of materials from paper to precious. Taiwanese jewelry designer Shu-Lin Wu brings together a unique mixture of Eastern and Western influences to her wearable sculptures. She utilizes techniques from Japanese metalworking and sword-making, shapes from 17th-century European earrings, and found fragments of Delft porcelain. After moving from Taiwan to Europe for school, Wu studied the history of jewelry and art, which led to her interest in the styles molded by the cultural environment of each era. Her creations reinterpret these traditional techniques and shapes in a modern way. Also to be featured is Turkish jewelry designer Aisegul Telli whose work explores the mysteries under the surface – be it that of the moon or the ocean. Telli's creations resemble mineralogist specimens or corals, and are made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, pigments, epoxy resin, micro glass spheres, and gold.

“CONTEMPORARY SPOTLIGHT is housed inside the NYAAJ, a cross-collecting fair covering an incredible breadth of artistic genres. We are delighted to feature these artworks in CONTEMPORARY SPOTLIGHT that echo the multidisciplinary spirit of the umbrella fair,” explains the fair's director Barbara Goodwin. “We look forward to presenting these contemporary works of art to the New York collectors who share unbiased appreciation for mastery in artistic expressions regardless of medium, origin and time period.”

The fair opens on Wednesday, November 9th with an Opening Night Preview and Private Benefit Party hosted by Sharon and Lauren Bush for the FEED Foundation, the non-profit organization that is working to stop worldwide hunger. It is open to the public for regular admission from Thursday, November 10th through Sunday, November 13th between 11am and 7pm.

About CONTEMPORARY SPOTLIGHT

Contact:

Young Jeon, SPARK+

200 Park Avenue Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166

Info@sparkplusart.com

+1.646.354.6518