Yasue Maetake’s Stunning Sculptures at Nina Johnson Gallery

December 4th, 2023

Yasue Maetake, "Gladiator," 2022-2023, H21 ½ x 9 ½ x 7 inch Polymer coated found tree branches, casted aluminum, silver leaf, gold leaf, alloys of silver and copper, copper, brass, zinc pewter, polyester resin coated origami, steel chain, alloys of silver and copper and proprietary blend made from an epoxy mixture of seashells, alabaster, animal bones, fossils, lobster shells, corals, washi, aluminum, and glass beads; courtesy of the artist and Nina Johnson Gallery.

Yasue Maetake: “Three-Legged Idols”

The New York-based artist presents new ethereal sculptures.

New York-based artist Yasue Maetake brings an intuitive and ever-evolving practice in glass art to Nina Johnson Gallery. Throughout the Exhibition Library, “Three-Legged Idols” will unveil the visionary’s stunning tripod sculptures; fusing a myriad of materials, from seashells, to brass, to found tree branches, Maetake’s ethereal works pass on stories of mythology, nature, and humanity in abstract and elegant fashion. Shinto ritual ceremonial dance (2022-23) catches the eye in a statuesque composition of materials including fossils, steel chain, origami, and plywood. Ishtar (2023) is titled after an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love and fertility, Rafflesia (2023) is an ode to earth’s largest flower, while Tanzaku (2022-23) reflects prayer cards suspended from bamboo branches during the traditional Japanese Star Festival.

Read on Whitewall.

Yasue Maetake, "Gladiator," 2022-2023, H21 ½ x 9 ½ x 7 inch Polymer coated found tree branches, casted aluminum, silver leaf, gold leaf, alloys of silver and copper, copper, brass, zinc pewter, polyester resin coated origami, steel chain, alloys of silver and copper and proprietary blend made from an epoxy mixture of seashells, alabaster, animal bones, fossils, lobster shells, corals, washi, aluminum, and glass beads; courtesy of the artist and Nina Johnson Gallery.