THE ARMORY SHOW 2026
The Fridge at The Armory Show 2026
September 24th to September 27th
Booth P42
Duo Exhibition with KAZUMA KOIKE & NONCHELEEE
KAZUMA KOIKE
Born in 1980 and lives in Osaka, Japan.
Koike spent his childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, attended high school in Barcelona, Spain, and graduated from the Department of Sculpture, College of Art at Nihon University in Tokyo. The works of Spanish sculptor Josép Clarà has inspired him to follow suit. Growing up in a multi-cultural environment, Koike is interested in “Shinbutsu-Shugo”, a mix between Japan's native Shinto beliefs and Chinese Buddhism. Koike visited numerous temples where their architecture, gardens, and sculptures became his inspiration.
Koike started his first attempt of deconstructionism sculpture by compiling various dismantled found objects, removing their physical meaning, and reforming them into a sculpture. In the recent decade, Koike created most artworks by mixing images from different space and time, creating “fictional ancient artifacts” as if they do not belong to any era of the recorded history. Motifs of divinity, big cats, plants and pineapples repeatedly appears in Koike’s works, such as the tiger paintings of Japan's Edo period — there was no tiger in Japan at that time. Tiger paintings then were imaginary creatures made with reference to chinese paintings, furs brought back and cats. Koike always aims at the state where “different elements coexist in harmony”. He once joked that future scholars from 2000 years later will discover a whole new culture from his buried works.
The artist attempts to present his works as if they were found objects, hence his creations are mostly spontaneous. Black clay and special black glaze are applied to simulate the color of traditional Japanese tea sets. Most of Koike’s sculptures are titled in codes — “BC” stands for “Black Clay”, and numbers are the date finished modeling - Koike avoids any narrative in the work titles, so that one could interpret his work from a more detached perspective purely on the basis of its physical form.
NONCHELEEE
Born in Japan, 1986
Lives and works in Fukuoka, Japan
Self-taught and endlessly inventive, Noncheleee’s playful, surreal visual universe is steeped in reggae, dancehall, Jamaican roots, and the vibrant spirit of 60s, 70s , 80s & 90s... Japanese pop culture. His signature characters — part mascot, part myth — blend absurd humor with quiet critique, channeling the contradictions of everyday life through a uniquely disarming lens.
Emerging from the local music scene, he began designing flyers and record sleeves. Crossing effortlessly between art, streetwear, and sound, Noncheleee’s work has since resonated across Japan and Asia, grounded in DIY energy, community spirit, and a deep love for the unexpected.
THE FRIDGE
101 East 75th Steet
New York NY 10021