Marking its debut at Contemporary Istanbul in 2026, Whitestone Gallery presents works by seven artists: Yayoi Kusama, Kazuyuki Futagawa, Jiang Miao, Soonik Kwon, Caroline Denervaud, Lee Chae, and Masayuki Tsubota. Reflecting the gallery’s network of seven spaces across Asia, the presentation brings together abstract painting, figurative landscape painting, and sculpture, highlighting a shared sensitivity to material, nature, craftsmanship, and time.

Yayoi Kusama’s iconic imagery and distinctive use of repetition bring a bold visual presence to the presentation. Rooted in the tradition of Nihonga, Kazuyuki Futagawa creates contemplative landscapes using mineral pigments on Japanese paper, capturing the changing light and atmosphere of the natural world. Building up numerous layers of pigment before carving into the surface, Jiang Miao reveals vibrant strata and organic forms that evoke the passage of time and the cycles of life.

Kazuyuki Futagawa｜Memory -Senkyo-, 2023, Mineral pigments on paper, 145.6 × 112.0 cm

Soonik Kwon builds tactile surfaces with charcoal through a sustained process of accumulation, embedding a sense of time and stillness within each work. Lee Chae, who studied traditional Korean painting, repeatedly applies and gently wipes away layers of oil paint to create softly illuminated landscapes poised between representation and abstraction. Caroline Denervaud translates bodily movement into fluid lines and fields of colour, lending the booth an organic rhythm and energy.

Soonik Kwon｜Interstice-Pile up & Rub 07-01, 2023, Mixedmedia on canvas, 112.0 × 145.5 cm

Lee Chae｜Wind-Infused, 2026, Oil on canvas, 117.0 × 91.0 cm

Working primarily with wood, Masayuki Tsubota creates vividly coloured sculptures that combine geometric and organic forms. Meticulously carved and finished by hand, his works explore the shifting relationships between colour, texture, surface, and volume.

Together, the seven artists reflect the breadth of Whitestone Gallery’s programme across Asia, bringing East Asian artistic traditions into dialogue with contemporary forms of expression. Their varied yet complementary practices create a cohesive encounter between different generations, cultures, and approaches to making.

Caroline Denervaud｜« Consciousness », 2025, Chalk ,pigments, casein, acrylique, oil on linen, 200.0 × 150.0 cm

Masayuki Tsubota｜The Wall of Self_vstfla1, 2023, Wood, bologna gesso, pigment, acrylic, tin foil, 149.5 × 104.0 × 9.0 cm