LAKEVIEW — There's a strange, almost unsettling duality in Kensuke Yamada's large stoneware sculptures.
The faces gaze without expression, full figures stand straight, arms slightly extended. Their size alone demands attention, but the whimsical colors and patterns are what really catches your eye.
The Nevica Project, 3717 N. Ravenswood Ave., will exhibit large stoneware works by Japanese American artist Kensuke Yamada, including (from l.) "Wind Charm I (Stripes)," "Wind Charm II (Dots)" and "Head (Blue Girl)." [DNAinfo Chicago/Ariel Cheung]
"Clay has become another primary source of communication for me. The vocabulary consists of gestures, patterns, textures, colors and rhythms. In conversation, these qualities bring the figure to life," the artist said.
Yamada's work will be on display at The Nevica Project, 3717 N. Ravenswood Ave., with an opening reception Thursday. Collectors can preview the works from 5-6 p.m., with wine and food offered at the public reception starting right after.
Works by Kensuke Yamada on display at The Nevica Project, 3717 N. Ravenswood Ave., include (from l.) "Head (Boy)," "Hannah" and "Head (Yellow Girl)." [DNAinfo Chicago/Ariel Cheung]
The Nevica Project offers consultation services, collection management and fine art shipping. Works are on display year round, including Lawfer's large collection of tea bowls and cups.
The gallery opened in 2008 when director Jayson Lawfer returned to Chicago after living in Rome for three years. He opened the gallery to further his work connecting artists and collectors.
His Ravenswood Avenue building — which The Nevica Project shares with almost 100 other businesses — is an ideal location, allowing fellow tenants like interior designers or patrons of yoga and martial arts studios to stop by the gallery and browse.
"People are always walking by. We work with some people that have never collected, so they can see the $40 cup to the $40,000 print to the $250 drawing," Lawfer said.
Even Yamada will have something for the thrifty art collector, with about a dozen bud vases priced at $100 each.
About a dozen bud vases by Kensuke Yamada will be on sale for $100 each during his solo exhibition at The Nevica Project, 3717 N. Ravenswood Ave. [DNAinfo Chicago/Ariel Cheung]
While there is no one particular style Lawfer selects for the gallery, he likes to work with artists he knows, either personally or in the art scene. He met Yamada, for example, at SOFA Chicago, although both also attended the University of Montana to study clay.
"Everything that's here, I feel really confident about," Lawfer said. "Everything's by artists I really respect, whether I know them personally or if they're a legend."
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