SIDE GALLERY

02/09/2026

Side Gallery is delighted to participate in the second edition of Design Miami Seoul, taking place from September 3–7, 2026, at COEX in Seoul.
For this occasion, Side Gallery presents Resonance, an exhibition curated through a dialogue between contemporary designers and makers from Japan and South Korea, examining the connections between the two countries through material, process, and craftsmanship.
The Japanese presentation brings together Koichi Io, Junpei Kawaguchi, Hashimoto Tomonari, Yuji Ueda, and Kodai Ujiie, whose practices span ceramics, bamboo, lacquer, and wood.
The South Korean presentation features Hyeokjin Jung, Somyeong Lee, Yeunhee Ryu, Park Sung Jun, Park Sung-Youl, Dahyeon Yoo, and Gyuhan Lee, working across metal, fiber, wood, and ceramics.
Together, these practices reflect the ways in which traditional knowledge can evolve through experimentation and material research, creating new perspectives on craftsmanship while connecting cultural heritage with contemporary practice.

02/09/2026

19/08/2026

Architect Alberto Ponis developed a body of work in northern Sardinia in which architecture, geology and vernacular construction are closely interconnected.

His houses are characterised by a low horizontal profile, fragmented volumes and an architecture adapted to the existing topography. Local granite is used structurally and visually in walls, terraces, retaining elements and interiors, establishing a direct continuity between the construction and the surrounding rock formations.

The stazzo gallurese, the traditional rural dwelling of Gallura, provided an important typological reference. Ponis translated its compact volumes, materiality and relationship to the terrain into a modern architectural language.

Works such as Casa Martínez, Casa Scalesciani, Stazzu Pulcheddu and the houses of Porto Rafael document this approach. Concrete, granite, timber and shaded exterior spaces are organised according to the orientation, vegetation and natural formations of each site.

Ponis’s architecture is therefore inseparable from the specific material and geographical conditions of Sardinia, and represents an important chapter in the development of post-war Mediterranean residential architecture.

16/08/2026

“Haco” Series
by Isamu Kenmochi
Manufactured by Tendo Mokko
Japan, 1961

The “Haco” (box) series by Isamu Kenmochi, first presented in 1961 and manufactured by Tendo Mokko, represents a seminal moment in postwar Japanese design, bridging traditional aesthetics with advanced industrial techniques. Originally designed for the lobby of the Kyoto International Conference Center, these pieces transitioned to standard production in 1964 due to their ergonomic comfort and design tailored to the Japanese physique. The furniture, including armchairs, sofas, side tables, and coffee tables, is characterized by a distinctive, single-piece frame of molded plywood (often Japanese elm or Brazilian rosewood veneer) that fluidly wraps around a soft, encased cushion. This “box-like” form, from which the series derives its name, provides both structural integrity and a unique, clean aesthetic. Kenmochi’s work on the “Haco” collection highlights his philosophy of “comprehensive design,” creating harmonious living environments through highly functional, yet timelessly simple, modern forms that remain highly collectible and exhibited in international museum collections today.

05/07/2026

Kodai Ujie
SIDE GALLERY

Rooted in traditional ceramics, Kodai Ujiie’s sculptures explore the evolving boundary between vessel and sculpture through controlled yet improvisational techniques. His pieces often evoke quiet, creature-like presences, drawing inspiration from the anatomical strangeness of amphibians and other biological oddities to create soft-edged forms that feel both familiar and otherworldly, resonating with a lineage of artists who expand the vessel into a sculptural language. Eschewing bold color, he employs a restrained, almost ghostly palette, with expressive forms and carefully worked surfaces reminiscent of experimental freedoms found in the work of Ron Nagle. Ujiie glazes suggest frozen, snow-covered terrains or ash-dusted mineral surfaces—distant, imagined, and quietly surreal landscapes. This muted, eerie tonality fosters a sense of reverie, creating a feeling of stillness or suspended time, as if each object inhabits a slow, parallel reality just beyond perception.
At the same time, Ujiie’s practice is deeply informed by the conventions of traditional Japanese pottery, particularly in his use of technical fusions that bridge historical methods with contemporary form. By adapting the kintsugi lacquer mending process, he brings a layered sensibility to his practice; his unpredictable glazes—thickly applied and often suggesting a synthetic gloss—conjure a striking sense of spontaneity within otherwise carefully constructed, deliberate forms. These works gesture toward utility, subtly alluding to conventional vessels or architectural fragments—recalling Betty Woodman’s reimagining of ceramic traditions through hybrid, architectonic gestures—while their meanings unfold through multiple layers of interpretation and ambiguity. His ceramics also evoke an animated quality: bulbous, soft-edged, almost creaturely forms that suggest narrative or anthropomorphic character, aligning with the expressive, sculptural approach of Ken Price and inviting viewers to engage with them as lively, enigmatic presences rather than mere objects.