Happy Holidays from the Artist Abroad!

I would like to wish you a very happy Holiday season, let's make 2020 another awesome year filled with beauty, art and adventure! 

Denise Buisman Pilger

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Where did 2019 go? It just flew by! With a solo exhibition in Montréal, Canada and Gifu, Japan, a wonderful collaboration with a local theatre company, 6 group exhibitions and a 2 person showroom exhibition it has been a busy, busy year! I've also had a chance to go back to the Mino Washi museum for another paper making course and had the opportunity to explore some additional new Japanese crafts and techniques. I would like to thank everyone who came out to see my work and of course everyone who added my work to their art collections this year! Also a big Thank You to all the super supportive artists here in Nagoya and of course all my wonderful teachers who add tools to my toolbox with every class. You are all top quality humans! 

While 2019 in winding down things are in full swing in my studio in preparation for my return to the Artist Project next February 20-23 at the Better Living Center in Toronto. I last participated in this exhibition in 2017, before leaving for Japan and I am very excited for the opportunity to introduce my brand new, Japan inspired, body of work. 'World on Washi' to my collectors in Canada in person. If you have a chance to attend the show, I will be in booth #831!

For those of you who can't make it to the Better Living Center, I also have work available on my website, Saachi Art and BBuzzArt and if you're looking for something custom I work on commission as well, just send me an email for additional information. If you're in Toronto or Motréal, I am working with two wonderful galleries who would be happy to assist you in finding the perfect piece for your collection. In Toronto you can visit Latitude 44 Gallery located on 2900 Dundas st. West in the Junction area and in Montréal you can find my work at Viva Vida Art Gallery located on 278 Lakeshore drive in Pointe Claire.

Thank you for all your support! I'm so grateful to have such amazing and loyal collectors and fans! I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and an art filled and creative 2020! 

良いお年を! (Happy New Year!)

Special announcement! The Artist Abroad will return to Toronto for the Artist Project 2020!

From February 20-23, 2020 the Artist Abroad, Denise Buisman Pilger, will return to Toronto for the 13th annual Artist Project to be held at the Better Living Center, Exhibition Place in Toronto. The artist will be showing off a brand new body of work inspired by her time living in Japan (Booth number will be announced soon).

The Artist Project is a high end art fair that allows the public to browse and buy artwork directly from the artists. Visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 200 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad.

Dates & TimesThursday February 20  |  7-11 PM (Opening Night Party, 19+ event)
Friday February 24  |  11 AM - 10 PM
Saturday February 25  |  11 AM - 8 PM
Sunday February 26  |  11 AM - 6 PM

Booth number and location and more information about where to get your tickets and what you can expect to see at the exhibition will follow soon!

Toyo Kitchen Showroom Display

International artists Robert N Moore and Denise Buisman Pilger will exhibit their works in a very special showroom display at Toyo Kitchen Style in Nagoya from October 19-28. The exhibition will be held on the 3rd floor of Toyo Kitchen's gorgeous Nagoya showroom which is conveniently located just across the street from Issha station.

At this exhibition both artists will display a wide variety of works, the unique showroom setting gives collectors an opportunity to see the art in an interior design setting, making it easy to imagine the pieces on a wall in your home.

The exhibition is free and open to the public, business hours are 10 am - 6pm (closed on Wednesdays). 

[Access by train] 3-minute walk from Issha Station of the municipal subway Higashiyama Line.[Access by car]3 minutes from Nagoya Interchange of Tomei Expressway.3 minutes from Kamiyashiro Exit of Tomei Expressway.5 minutes from Takabari Exits of Nagoya Expressway.
ParkingCurrently, the north-side entrance of the car park is closed due to construction work. Please use the south-side entrance when visiting.

International Art and Music

Exhibition Art International at Kikyu Gallery in Okazaki

From October 5-13 Denise Buisman Pilger’s work will be part of the Exhibition Art International at Kikyu Gallery in Okazaki. Gallery opening hours are 10am-6pm (Closed Monday). 15 Artists will be participating in this years exhibition, the exhibition will include painting, photography and traditional Japanese woodblock prints. On Saturday October 5th at 17:30 h. there will be a vernissage, sponsored by Kikyu Club, please come along, meet some of the artists and have a good time!

Under the Bridge Nagoya, Art & music festival.

On October 6th the Artist Abroad will be part of Under the Bridge Nagoya, An outdoor live music and art event that brings the international and local communities together for a day of entertainment. The event will take place from 11am-6pm on Wakamiya Dori Park, Yabacho, Nagoya, Japan.

LIVE BANDS:
StarKat
Smoking Crows
Game Over Humans
Campus Heights
Building trees
Bambi Sakaborn & Big Shot Jr.
The Omagarys (ジ・オマガリーズ）

ARTIST SHOWCASE:
B'Z Joint / Bill Hall, Airbrush Art
Imagine Design / Robert Moore, Live Painting
Artist Abroad / Denise Buisman Pilger, Visual Artist
Tiana Silva, Zentangle-inspired Art
Shadow Frau Studio / Gywneth Wilson, Illustrations & Concept Design
Rabeea Farooq, Henna Art
Ramona Vasiliu Hisum, Ikebana

SPONSORS:
MBprints T-shirt Print shop Japan
Imagine Design • Robert N. Moore
NAGMAG
Small World
The Absolute Halloween Nagoya
HYAPPA BREWS

VENDORS:
Shooters Sports Bar & Grill - Nagoya Japan -

Come see Japanese beauty through Dutch eyes in Gifu!

From September 5 to September 26 I will be exhibiting a series of brand new works on washi in a solo exhibition titled: 'Enchanted; Japanese beauty through Dutch eyes.' The exhibition will be held at Masa Gallery, located on the 3rd floor of Masa21 Shopping Center in Gifu Japan (see map below). The exhibition is free and open to the public, the exhibition will be open daily from 9am-9pm.

I have been working non stop to get these pieces ready and I am very excited to finally share them with the public. Amongst the new pieces at the exhibition are three 'Kakejiku', Japanese hanging scrolls, that have been handmade by some very talented craftsmen here in Nagoya. 

As I have been exploring the possibilities of washi the pieces have become larger and more elaborate. I have also been experimenting with 'Kirihaku' the Japanese technique of cutting gold and silver leaf which is quite a challenge I must say.

This exploration of Japanese paper has been such a joy that I wanted to share a little bit of the experience with all of you so I created a video to show you a little bit of this wonderful journey.

Speaking in Tongues, an interactive art piece and special theatre production!

Two married couples set out to cheat on their spouses. A man encounters his long-lost fiancé on a bus and a woman disappears in the middle of the night, betrayed by her husband. These seemingly unrelated events are the threads that weave together Speaking in Tongues, a modern-day tale of fractured love and human despair. Now considered an Australian classic, Speaking in Tongues powerfully deepest the emotional labyrinth of relationships that are falling apart.

Theatre Iridescence is a multilingual and multicultural theatre company. Their aim is to celebrate and promote diversity and intercultural understanding through thought-provoking, high quality productions. This year they present Speaking in Tongues in both English and Japanese. Alternating between a local and an International cast, this is a unique opportunity to see two culturally different interpretations of the same play.

Nagoya based, Dutch artist Denise Buisman Pilger created a very special, interactive art piece exclusively for this show. This beautiful piece of art will be on display and up for silent auction in the foyer during the performances of Speaking in Tongues. Come create your own unique version with the characters from the show! Speaking in Tongues, opens today at Chikusa Playhouse and will be performed from June 7th - 9th 2019.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES INFO「饒舌な罪びと」について:Chikusa Playhouse 千種文化小劇場
https://goo.gl/maps/kjFWKdVmYVx

SHOW TIMES:
6/7（金）@15:30(B組)　@18:30(A組)
6/8（土）@12:00(B組)　@15:00(A組)　@18:00(B組)
6/9（日）@11:00(A組)　@14:00(B組)　@17:00(A組)
※洋キャスト・International Cast＝A組, 和キャスト・Japanese Cast＝B組

TICKETS・チケットDOOR・当日券　4,000円

Picture by Louise Corry

Picture by Louise Corry

A week of wonder

I've had the most amazing week! On Tuesday I was very lucky to be part of a very special trip to Kyoto that was organized by my wonderful sensei. We visited this gorgeous temple in the mountains at the outskirts of the city where we saw the location of the first green tea plantation in Japan. We got to try a cup and after that had beautiful lunch by the water. We then went into the city to experience a Maiko and Geisha dance performance at the theatre in Gion which was mesmerizing, especially the finale. We were very lucky to have absolutely perfect weather and we even got to experience the last of the Sakura blossoms in the city.

On Friday we got up really early and drove to Tateyama on the other coast, to travel the Alpen Route.  We got to see the 16m high snow wall, enormous ancient cedar trees and mind blowingly stunning views. We walked around on the top of Tateyama mountain in a complete whiteout until an opening in the clouds revealed the gorgeous winter landscape and we took a bath in the highest onsen of Japan which made us smell like sulphur all day. Traveling this gorgeous route was truly a once in a lifetime experience, if you ever have a chance to visit I would definitely recommend it, it has truly one of the most beautiful things we have seen here in Japan. 

Spring and special projects

Hikone Castle

Sakura season is a big deal in Japan, the blooming is predicted months in advance and Sakura forecasts are broadcasted on the news nation wide. Here in Nagoya the trees were predicted to start blooming around March 22, but of course, the trees don't care about any of this. Early spring has been a bit colder this year so the flowers were not so eager to come out and play. On March 22 they were still nicely bundled up in their buds and we were left waiting.

An advantage of the colder weather is that the flowers actually last a little longer this year so we've had plenty of time to enjoy their beauty, Hanami (flower viewing) parties with friends, evening strolls along Sakura lined rivers and fairytale like views of ancient castles, Sakura season in Japan is truly magical!

While all that beauty is going on outside, inside my studio I have been busy creating some beauties of my own. I'm working on a very special collaboration project with Theatre Iridescence, a local theatre company here in Nagoya. I'm creating a very special, interactive piece for their 2019 production 'Speaking in Tongues' which will be performed at the Chikusa Playhouse 千種文化小劇場 on June 7-9, for detailed information about the show and how to get tickets visit their website.

On Saturday we had a wonderful evening celebrating the opening of 'Journey' a group exhibition at Gallery White Cube here in Nagoya. If you didn't have a chance to join us on Saturday the exhibition runs until April 21st so there is still plenty of time to visit. The exhibition features works of 10 talented artists from different countries and backgrounds with diverse art practices. It is an effort to present another perspective from the outside world, by different individuals living in the same environment in Japan. 

The exhibition is free and open to the public so please don't hesitate to visit! 
Gallery hours are as follows: 
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Closed
Thursday April 18th - Sunday 21st 1 - 5pm

Click here for gallery location.

Exhibition announcement: Journey at Gallery White Cube in Nagoya.

From April 11-21, 2019 I will be exhibiting my work together with 9 talented artists from different countries, will exhibit our works together at Gallery White Cube in Nagoya, Japan. This unique exhibition, titled ‘Journey’, narrates the journey of artists from different countries and backgrounds with diverse art practices. It is an effort to present another perspective from the outside world, by different individuals living in the same environment in Japan. 

On Saturday, April 13th we are inviting everyone to join us at the gallery from 6-8pm for a small celebration, snack and drinks will be served! For more information check out the event page.

'Journey' runs from April 11-21. Both the opening night event and the exhibition are free and open to the public so please invite your friends! 

Gallery opening hours:

Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday ClosedThursday April 11 - Sunday April 14th: 1 - 7pm Thursday April 18th - Sunday 21st 1 - 5pm

Announcement! Solo exhibition in Montréal!

If you are following this blog or any of my social media feeds you know have been preparing for an upcoming exhibition, today I can finally share all the details with you!

On March 5th my solo exhibition 'Départ-Arrivée' will open at the Beaconsfield Library in Beaconsfield, QC, Canada, there will be a special vernissage on Thursday March 14th from 7-8:30pm. I will be traveling to Montréal for the occasion so I am looking forward to seeing everyone there!

This exhibition is a collaboration between the Beaconsfield Library and the Viva Vida Art Gallery in Pointe Claire. I was contacted by the Beaconsfield Library shortly after moving to Japan so Viva Vida Art Gallery stepped in and collaborated with the Library to organize the exhibition, all pieces exhibited will be for sale through the gallery.

A box with brand new paintings from Japan arrived at the gallery last week and a few additional pieces will travel with my on the plane. I am excited to show the public in Montréal how our move to Japan has influenced my work. And of course I am very excited to see all my Montréal friends, I hope you'll all be able to join us on the 14th for the vernissage!

You can find detailed information about this exhibition on my website.

Long time to see!

I know, I know, it's been ages since my last post, we're already halfway into February, man time flies! I've been busy, busy, I did some traveling over the holidays and when I came back I had a lovely commission piece with a very tight deadline waiting for me.

After finishing that one I had four other pieces in several stages of done-ness waiting for me to finish them so I basically locked myself in my studio for a couple of weeks.

My classes also started back up, things have been quite exciting on the learning front! I've spent quite some time experimenting with woodblock printing. I only have 2 classes left so I want to make the most of it! Today I did my first prints on Washi paper, which is a huge step up from the water color paper I was trying a couple of weeks ago! It is quite a complicated technique that breaks my brain just a little every time I do it, it s so completely opposite from my usual way of working!

I've also been learning to work with natural pigments which is really exciting and surprisingly difficult. I am looking forward to exploring this new material in both painting and printing!

I'm also working on some new pieces on Washi paper that I am very excited about! I hope to be able to give you a little sneak peek soon! 

Oh and keep an eye on this page because I will be sharing some very exciting news soon! In the meantime please enjoy some of my recently finished pieces:

'Fantastic'

'Shopping in Style'

'Wish & Wonder' 

'Thoughful'