Avant Gallery will feature an exhibition of internationally acclaimed sculptor Chie Hitotsuyama's work during Art Basel.

Hitotsuyama, born in Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan, started her career as an illustrator. When she began to create three-dimensional works, childhood memories of her family’s historic paper string factory led her to use paper as her sculptural medium, creating remarkable life-size animals and marine life from unwanted newspaper.

She says, “My grandfather owned and operated a paper mill. So, it was quite natural that I came to work with paper as my material of choice. For my work, I primarily use old discarded newspapers - ones that have become unwanted and no longer have a purpose to the original owner. I then make paper strings out of the old newspapers, just as the old wooden thawing machines did in my grandfather's factory, but instead, this time I use my hands.”

“Since the first sculptural piece I made, a rhinoceros, I have continued to sculpt forms of animals and while doing so I have become acutely aware of the life force in all beings. I admire the animals I study. I am in awe of their strength and survival in unforgiving nature.”

Avant Gallery will install Hitotsuyama’s sculptures in the exhibition area of the Epic Hotel's lobby in downtown Brickell, Miami, from November 30, 2016, through February 10, 2017.

During the Scope Art Fair in Miami Beach, December 1st, through December 5th, Avant Gallery's booth will also exhibit Hitotsuyama's work.

About Avant Gallery

Founded in Miami Beach in 2007, Avant Gallery’s mission is to inspire their clients, to electrify their spirits, and to let their personalities illuminate through forward-thinking art and cutting-edge design. The gallery offers an evolving collection of contemporary art and design pieces curated with limited availability and unlimited personality. Avant represents, promotes, and showcases world-renowned, mid-career, as well as emerging talent from the disciplines of art, design, and passionate manufacturing. Gallery offerings include street/graffiti art, fine art, photography, objet d’art, sculpture, and other unique collectibles. In January 2016, Avant Gallery was voted as the #1 art gallery in Miami and featured in the Best of the City 2016 issue of MIAMI Magazine. In June 2016, Avant held its first exhibition in Switzerland as part of the Scope Art Fair during Art Basel.