Crosscurrent Yokohama - Texas Exchange 2023

This is a group exhibition between artists from Japan and Texas celebrating cultural and artistic exchange. The first exhibition titled The 3rd Crosscurrent U.S-Japan was held in 2019 at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama, Japan. The exhibition was to be reciprocated in the United States, but it was postponed due to the pandemic until now!

Hosted first in Houston at the Redbud Arts Center, the exhibit finishes at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art with Twenty-five artists from Japan and Texas.

Suguru Hiraide 

Professor of Art, Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Art 

When I first came to the United States as an international student from Japan, one of my main goals was to build a "bridge" between national and international artists who wish to show their work overseas. Therefore, after beginning my career as a professional artist and educator in America, I have actively participated in international exchange exhibitions and art events involving China, Costa Rica, Japan, and Thailand. Since 2014, I have also served as a co-curator and organizer for exhibitions and related events between the U.S. and Japan. These projects include The 3rd Crosscurrent international Exchange Show U.S.–Japan at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 2015, Crosscurrent International Exhibition at Wichita Falls Museum of Art in 2016, and Crosscurrent Yokohama-Texas 2019 at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in 2019.  

This exhibition, Crosscurrent Yokohama-Texas Exchange 2023, showcases 25 artists’ work from Japan and the United States which first opened at the Redbud Arts Center and is now showing at the WFMA. Fifteen American based artists were selected by Gus Kopriva, president of Redbud Arts Center, Cindy Lisica, former owner of Cindy Lisica Gallery, and me. Ten Japanese artists were selected by Hideo Iida, Izumi Tanabe, and Yasuyo Maruyama. This exhibition was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

International exchange exhibitions provide opportunities for artists to present their work abroad, expand the audience that sees their artwork, and to become inspired by new environments. Local artists have an incentive to travel internationally and network with artists overseas who share similar interests and goals, while experiencing new cultures and artistic practices. For the audience, these exhibitions bring opportunities to see in person a variety of concepts, mediums, and styles, and a chance to discover inspiring works by international artists. I look forward to continuing to build bridges between national and international artists and forming relationships that transcend borders among artists and audiences.