Galleries - July 2021

Japanese artist Sumiko Okubo – prints Studio Sienko Gallery SE1 1QN until the end of August 2021 Sumiko returns to our gallery for the third time for her solo show and we miss her vibrant personality, as the pandemic regulations keep her in Tokyo. Nevertheless, her extraordinary work, conveys all she has to offer, as an artist and charismatic woman. Her prints based on Japanese woodcut technique, multi coloured , but printed with translucent inks, create delicate hues of mysterious landscapes and depths. Her Art studies in Japan, were followed by time at the Central School of Art and Design in London in the eighties, where she was studying etching with the famous professors: Norman Ackroyd RA, the late David Gluck, and Chris Orr RA. That period influenced her printmaking technique, adding the subtle etching tones and also inspiring mixed media and embossing. One cannot forget the vital influence of Terry Graves on Sumiko's art life, as he was the one , who convinced her, to take on etching, when she enrolled in his class , demanding portrait painting tuitions. Now, Far East and the West are amalgamated in her prints. Shinto with a more abstract, painterly attitude, than traditional Japanese image. It is a subtle fusion of mystery, elaborate printing, sketchy and deeply felt Art, at the same time. Lots of feeling for the forest, trees, water, horizon, drifting boats, marking the passing time and reflections of moments in the nature. Changing seasons and building up memories, like the late Derek Jarman’s amazement at small wonders presented by nature, even in a leaf of the grass . . . Welcome to the Dickensian area of Lant Street, to see the exhibition, before the end of August. Best to contact the gallery, before you arrive. Please refer to listings for details. Olga Sienko Bluebird Has Come M-1, mixed media on Japanese paper , 33x28 cm, 2018 sumiko-central.com