junichi and friends : peace in new york

Group Art Exhibition, Summer 2002 

While co-hosting a show on Traveler's TV, a Japanese satellite tv channel in the late 1990s, I got to know 9 year old Junichi Ono whose fanciful art adorned our set. I was very taken by his images inspired by New York City skyscrapers and daily life, and we became friends and collaborators. He was a guest on our program several times, and later on I produced a segment on Junichi's soccer and peace themed art, which appeared as a regular feature in Japan's most popular soccer magazine, for FIFA's official World Cup international broadcast.  

As his work was getting more attention in Japan, Junichi's family and I discussed doing a show in New York, which came together in the summer of 2002 at the Angel Orensanz Foundation on Manhattan's Lower East Side.  While Junichi's paintings and drawings were the main event, the first floor featured sculpture and paintings by Angel Orensanz as well as collaborative performances at Ground Zero and Central Park.

This group show that I curated was also one of the first public exhibitions for then emerging artist James Clar, who created a surreal installation using the first generation of his light cubes, which have gone on to inspire his incredible work that continues to meld light and space. 

The exhibition was covered widely in the media, especially in Japan. Below is the second piece NHK produced on the show :

Here is more of the show's promotional material :