MAKI Collection

The MAKI Collection space will showcase artwork collected over the years by gallery owners, Mr. and Mrs. Maki, with a focus not just on ‘viewing art’ but also on ‘collecting art’. With the aim of overcoming the boundaries that separate collectors, artists, galleries, and institutions, while encouraging dialogue and the exchange of ideas between them, works by a variety of artists will be shown, without restrictions as to whether they are represented by MAKI Gallery or by other galleries, nationality, and so on.
The Japanese art market is relatively small in global terms but today, there is hope for growth. In light of this, we are establishing this space with a wish that through galleries communicating the joy of collecting, as well as revealing more about installation and storage with the viewpoint of collectors in mind, a less hierarchical collector-gallery relationship can be created. In other words, we feel it is important for galleries, which introduce artworks for potential acquisition to collectors, to share not just the enjoyment and significance of collecting, but also the concerns and knowledge that come with it.
Masahiro Maki has continued to engage with these artists and artworks, artist by artist, work by work. He hopes to open the collection that he has thus built up to the public, periodically changing what is on view and starting a conversation with the visitors who come to see it – through viewing this collection, for the meaningfulness of collecting art to be experienced as something closer to home.

EXHIBITIONS | LOCATION

— CURRENT EXHIBITION

Exhibition Title | Presence
Artists (in no particular order) | EUGENE STUDIO / Eugene Kangawa, Matti Braun, Lawrence Carroll, Lee Kit, Augusta Wood, Luigi Ghirri, Anne Kagioka Rigoulet, Koji Yamaguchi, Satoru Tamura, Takuro Tamura, Miya Ando, etc.
Dates | July 5, 2022 –

From July 5, 2022, MAKI Collection is pleased to present Presence, an exhibition featuring works by Japanese and international artists working in a wide range of mediums and expressive modes. EUGENE STUDIO / Eugene Kangawa’s Rainbow Painting series and White Painting series serve as the highlights of this exhibition, which draws focus to the many compelling presences that inhabit works of art. The Rainbow Painting series, which the artist refers to as “group portraits,” consists of massive canvases which appear to be painted in a simple gradation. However, closer inspection reveals that they are actually formed by countless distinctive brushstrokes. While each brushstroke represents an individual person, they simultaneously exude a powerful presence of the masses as they crowd together within the picture plane. EUGENE STUDIO / Eugene Kangawa’s signature White Painting series is realized through interactive performances, in which blank canvases are installed in public places and passersby are invited to plant a kiss. Although no physical traces of the participants can be discerned from the white canvases, the viewer can still sense their presence through contemplating the concept and story that underlies the paintings.
The exquisite materiality of Lawrence Carroll and Miya Ando’s works. The industrial vigor of Koji Yamaguchi’s painting of a construction site. The ethereal lights and shadows of Augusta Wood and Luigi Ghirri’s photographs, as well as Lee Kit’s video installation. The wavering tension in Anne Kagioka Rigoulet’s water surface painting. The stoic yet inviting form of Matti Braun’s sleek stools. We encourage you to immerse yourselves in the dynamic presence manifested by these artworks and use the experience as a reaffirmation of your own existence.

— PAST EXHIBITION

Exhibition Title | Amalgam
Artists (in no particular order) | Daisuke Ida, Sen Takahashi, Makoto Saito, Yukimasa Ida, Taro Shinoda, Koji Yamaguchi, Takahiro Yamamoto, Ulala Imai, baanai, Takuro Tamura, Satoru Tamura
Dates | January 28 – June 11, 2022

MAKI Collection’s third exhibition, Amalgam, will be held from January 28, 2022, featuring Japanese artists with distinct individuality, intelligence, and sensibility.
In continuation of the previous exhibition JAPAN, this exhibition also focuses on Japanese artists of varying ages and who work in different mediums, with the aim of creating a space where the works—which reflect each artist’s individuality—play off one another.
The artists, all of whom grew up in Japan, are devoted to creating works that incorporate their surrounding nature, culture, context, and the times. Some artists directly reflect this, while others are influenced by the history and culture of Western and Asian countries.
In the midst of COVID-19, it has become more difficult than ever to travel to and from the rest of the world, and we have been placed in an environment where we can only receive information from abroad through the media. How do these artists face their works, what do they express, and do the works unintentionally or unconsciously reflect this era?
This exhibition mainly showcases works created post-2020 from the MAKI Collection. We hope you will enjoy the exhibition and feel the energy from these Japanese artists through their unique and powerful works.

*Jonas Wood’s Tennis Court Drawings will remain on permanent display.

Exhibition Title | JAPAN
Artists (in no particular order) | Anne Kagioka Rigoulet, Yukimasa Ida, Makoto Saito, Taro Shinoda, Atsuhiko Misawa, Kimiyo Mishima, etc.
Dates | May 22 – December 11, 2021

MAKI Collection’s second exhibition will focus on Japanese artists from a wide range of generations and genres. The featured works radiate an atmosphere of rigor and elegance as well as depth and order that is latent in the artists of this region. Its colors, light, and shadows are born of this land where cities exist alongside nature, enveloped by the countless hues of the changing seasons. Exhibited are identity-rich, conceptual works along with works that reflect the spirit of Japanese fashion and culture. This exhibition attempts to bring together these various generations, genres, and ambiences under the common framework of “Japan”. We hope that you will enjoy this exhibition, with its structure and dignity, as well as its sense of lighthearted openness. Please note the exhibited works will be changed periodically.

Exhibition Title | L.A.
Artists | Jonas Wood, Shio Kusaka, Mungo Thomson, Jennifer Guidi, Kaz Oshiro, etc.
Dates | September 5, 2020 – May 1, 2021

Los Angeles is fast becoming a hub for the art market, like New York and London. The free and active exchange between institutions, galleries, artists, and collectors is a characteristic particular to art community in Los Angeles. New forms of expression are constantly coming into existence in this city. This mindset has also influenced the establishment of our new space, MAKI. This space is the realization of owner Masahiro Maki’s belief that the next generation of contemporary art will only born from lively discussion between all those involved in the art. We invite you to view this exhibition, which marks the grand opening of our new space, MAKI.