What can you do in the gallery?
gallery UG has evolved alongside artists, fostering their growth and individual talents. At the moment, we represent around 30 young artists who work exclusively with us. Our gallery focuses not only on tableaus and other two-dimensional art pieces, but also on three-dimensional works that require a lot of time and effort to handle.
Since its establishment in Ginza in 2001, the gallery has carried out various projects embodying our unique values within Japan.
In 2011, the gallery relocated to Nihonbashi Bakurocho and became a full-fledged primary gallery.
We've been actively showcasing our artists through exhibitions at international art fairs and partner galleries, introducing them to a global audience.
Since 2016, our emphasis has shifted towards branding efforts in Japan, widely broadcasting our message.
In the fall of 2020, we proudly opened our flagship gallery on the second floor of TERRADA ART COMPLEX II in Tennoz. Throughout the year, we host dynamic solo and special exhibitions that strive to draw attention to the appeal of larger three-dimensional artworks. In the winter of the same year, we opened an art studio to provide an environment where artists can focus more than ever on their production. In autumn 2023, we launched a showroom within Mother, an international advertising agency based in New York.
As we continue our activities in Japan, we realized how important it was to provide a more accessible environment for art. As a result, in February 2024, we founded gallery UG Osaka Umeda, which serves as our base in the Kansai region.
In July 2024, we added a new gallery space on the third floor of TERRADA ART COMPLEX II in Tennoz, along with a second atelier for our exclusive artists.
We aim to further enrich and expand contemporary art by proposing the original state of the art gallery, such as providing support for the artists' production, fostering connections with and between emerging talents, and cultivating numerous opportunities for promotion, just like the former Paris Marg Gallery.
History
We would like to share with you the history of galleryUG, which has been in business since 2001 and has always been making great strides.
- 1989
- Founded "Art Life Agency", with the aim of becoming one that connects life and art.
Started activities as a comprehensive art consultant, which later forms current UG.
- 2000
- Organized an art competition with more than 1,000 pieces in Ginza.
- 2001
- Opened a roadside gallery space in Ginza 8-chome.
Started artist discovery and branding through regular exhibition activities in our own space. At the same time, dealing with contemporary secondary artworks, mainly Yayoi KUSAMA.
- 2008
- Launched overseas promotion and began cultivating and discovering exclusive artists and branding them overseas based on a long-term strategy.
Attended many art fairs in East Asia
- 2010
- Holding in-house exhibitions in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and South Korea
- 2011
- Moved from Ginza to Nihonbashi area and changed the gallery name to gallery UG.
Shifted our activities to focus on young artists.
- 2014
- Hold our 15th anniversary exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum.
Begin promotion in Singapore, which at the time was the fastest-growing economy and contemporary art market in Asia.
- 2015
- At Christie's Fine Art Storage Services Viewing Space in Singapore, collaborated exhibition of sculptures by Yayoi KUSAMA from our collection and Kunihiko NOHARA, our principal artist.
Commemorative exhibition at LUXE ART MUSEUM, Singapore
- 2016
- Began participating in Art Fair Tokyo (and annually thereafter) and other art fairs in Japan.
- 2017
- Solo exhibition of our principal artist Kunihiko NOHARA at the Ueno Royal Museum,Tokyo
- 2018
- Kunihiko NOHARA solo exhibition at the largest booth at ART FAIR TOKYO
Kunihiko Nohara's solo exhibition at ART ATRIUM at Ginza Tsutaya Books in GINZA SIX of its second year of operation.
- 2019
- Organized Art Expo Malaysia, Japan Pavilion and became the main of the participating Japanese galleries.
- 2020
- Opened a flagship gallery at TERRADA ART COMPLEX, where leading galleries are gathered.
Opened "Studio MOKU" for a communal art studio where our exclusive artists works.
Begins full-scale activities in the U.S. and Europe, including participation in art fairs in New York and Basel.
Begins actively planning, proposing, and producing collaborations with contemporary art in order to preserve Japan's traditional crafts.
- 2021
- After a hiatus from overseas activities due to the pandemic of COVID-19, participated in domestic department store events to develop domestic activities.
Kyo-Yuzen's collaborative work and contemporary art exhibited at Nijo Castle, Kyoto, a World Heritage Site.
- 2022
- Planning and proposing events dedicated exclusively to primary contemporary art in department stores, the main market for Japanese art, and taking the lead in selecting and managing galleries.
(From 2022 - Touring Daimaru Matsuzakaya department stores nationwide)
- 2023
- Opened UG showroom at Mother, an advertising agency in New York (ongoing exhibition).
Established a company in the Macau Special Administrative Region and began working with the Macau government to promote art content.
- 2024
- gallery UG Osaka Umeda opened on the 11th floor of the Daimaru Umeda Department Store in February.
First gallery to be set up in the Kansai area.
