GOCA by Garde to Exhibit at 'Future Fair 2026' in New York, Announcing Curated Exhibition 'Mapping Autonomy: Roots and Routes'
GOCA by Garde, an art gallery operated by Garde Co., Ltd., will participate in 'Future Fair 2026' in New York, presenting a curated exhibition titled 'Mapping Autonomy: Roots and Routes.' This exhibition will focus on three Japanese female artists, aiming to introduce Japanese and Asian art to a global audience.
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- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 23:00
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Garde Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Kenji Muro), a company that globally provides comprehensive interior design, consulting, and coordination services, announced that its art gallery, "GOCA by Garde," will exhibit at "Future Fair 2026" in New York and present a curated exhibition titled "Mapping Autonomy: Roots and Routes."
GOCA by Garde is GARDE's first overseas art gallery, serving as a hub to introduce Japanese and Asian artists to the world, showcasing a diverse range of works including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. It aims to be a new cultural dissemination platform that promotes contemporary Japanese and Asian art globally.
Future Fair is a contemporary art fair held in the Chelsea district of New York, attracting attention as a platform where local, national, and international galleries, primarily young to mid-career, gather. The 6th edition in 2026 will be held at Chelsea Industrial, with 68 participating galleries, during New York's spring art week. It is drawing attention as a venue where new talents and diverse perspectives are presented, bringing together collectors, curators, and art professionals from around the world.
This exhibition focuses on three Japanese female artists—Noriko Shinohara, Natsu, and Ai Sogawa—and demonstrates how each has achieved self-expression and autonomy in the competitive and fluid New York art scene.
■ Highlights of the Exhibition
The New York art world is constantly changing and fiercely competitive. This exhibition attempts to map the trajectories of three Japanese female artists who have established their unique creativity while residing in this city, from the perspectives of "Roots" and "Routes."
The starting point is Noriko Shinohara, who moved to the United States in 1972. In her representative series "Cutie and Bullie," she humorously and autonomously depicted the conflicts arising between family, partnership, and creation through comic-like expressions, continuously and sharply questioning her own autonomy. Her practice has recently been re-evaluated, drawing attention as a symbol of women's lives in contemporary society.
Cutie Understands_Women Hold the World, 2023_Oil on canvas_23 x 30 inches
Next, Natsu, introduced as the succeeding generation, creates her unique "maps" in the "Path to the Sun" series by tracing sunlight filtering through trees, visualizing the distance to the sun. Using traditional Japanese materials such as sumi ink, animal glue, and gofun, she integrates color and geometry to express internal autonomy through dialogue with nature and the universe, from a serene perspective contrasting with urban hustle and bustle.
Path to the Sun, View from Central Park, New York, 03.07.242024, Sumi-ink, Japanese mineral pigments, Suihi(dyed seashells), Gofun(oyster shells),nikawa(organic glue) on Kumohada hemp paper, 36 x 24 inches
Furthermore, Ai Sogawa, who moved to the United States in 2005, develops abstract expressions combining the fluidity and precise control of pigments. Concepts of "home" and "identity," re-examined through her life commuting between Japan and the US, are sublimated into works such as "Inside in" and "Current." Her expressions, born between chance and structure, demonstrate the establishment of a self-domain not defined by external factors.
This exhibition is not merely a group show but is presented as a "map" illustrating the process by which Japanese female artists, who moved to New York at different times, carved out their own places in a foreign culture and built sustainable autonomy. Each work, while rooted in cultural background, was formed by following unique routes, bringing to light new forms of subjectivity in contemporary art.
■ Exhibition Overview
Title: "Mapping Autonomy: Roots and Routes"
Dates: May 14 (Thursday) – May 16 (Saturday), 2026
Venue: Chelsea Industrial
GOCA by Garde is GARDE's first overseas art gallery, serving as a hub to introduce Japanese and Asian artists to the world, showcasing a diverse range of works including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. It aims to be a new cultural dissemination platform that promotes contemporary Japanese and Asian art globally.
Future Fair is a contemporary art fair held in the Chelsea district of New York, attracting attention as a platform where local, national, and international galleries, primarily young to mid-career, gather. The 6th edition in 2026 will be held at Chelsea Industrial, with 68 participating galleries, during New York's spring art week. It is drawing attention as a venue where new talents and diverse perspectives are presented, bringing together collectors, curators, and art professionals from around the world.
This exhibition focuses on three Japanese female artists—Noriko Shinohara, Natsu, and Ai Sogawa—and demonstrates how each has achieved self-expression and autonomy in the competitive and fluid New York art scene.
■ Highlights of the Exhibition
The New York art world is constantly changing and fiercely competitive. This exhibition attempts to map the trajectories of three Japanese female artists who have established their unique creativity while residing in this city, from the perspectives of "Roots" and "Routes."
The starting point is Noriko Shinohara, who moved to the United States in 1972. In her representative series "Cutie and Bullie," she humorously and autonomously depicted the conflicts arising between family, partnership, and creation through comic-like expressions, continuously and sharply questioning her own autonomy. Her practice has recently been re-evaluated, drawing attention as a symbol of women's lives in contemporary society.
Cutie Understands_Women Hold the World, 2023_Oil on canvas_23 x 30 inches
Next, Natsu, introduced as the succeeding generation, creates her unique "maps" in the "Path to the Sun" series by tracing sunlight filtering through trees, visualizing the distance to the sun. Using traditional Japanese materials such as sumi ink, animal glue, and gofun, she integrates color and geometry to express internal autonomy through dialogue with nature and the universe, from a serene perspective contrasting with urban hustle and bustle.
Path to the Sun, View from Central Park, New York, 03.07.242024, Sumi-ink, Japanese mineral pigments, Suihi(dyed seashells), Gofun(oyster shells),nikawa(organic glue) on Kumohada hemp paper, 36 x 24 inches
Furthermore, Ai Sogawa, who moved to the United States in 2005, develops abstract expressions combining the fluidity and precise control of pigments. Concepts of "home" and "identity," re-examined through her life commuting between Japan and the US, are sublimated into works such as "Inside in" and "Current." Her expressions, born between chance and structure, demonstrate the establishment of a self-domain not defined by external factors.
This exhibition is not merely a group show but is presented as a "map" illustrating the process by which Japanese female artists, who moved to New York at different times, carved out their own places in a foreign culture and built sustainable autonomy. Each work, while rooted in cultural background, was formed by following unique routes, bringing to light new forms of subjectivity in contemporary art.
■ Exhibition Overview
Title: "Mapping Autonomy: Roots and Routes"
Dates: May 14 (Thursday) – May 16 (Saturday), 2026
Venue: Chelsea Industrial