About Us
OUR MISSION
Today's interconnected, fast-paced world demands that we wear many hats. More than just an art gallery or a cafe, Usagi offers the optimal environment for cross-disciplinary creativity and inspiration by integrating dining, art, and retail.
Usagi embodies modern Japanese aesthetic, which favors functional beauty, understated colors, and natural materials. We apply these principles to every object we introduce to our visitors.
OUR NAME
"usagi" [ ooh-sah-ghee ]
is a Japanese word for rabbit, a friendly animal that in many cultures is associated with renewal and spring.
"と" [ toh ]
means with or together in Japanese, and is symbolic of the collaborative nature of our space.
In our name, it is silent.
OUR SPACE
Usagi is equipped with fifteen removable
track-mounted panels. This design, inspired by the sliding screens of a traditional Japanese home, allows for endless reinvention and reconfiguration.
The internal architecture of Usagi was commissioned from Golden Lion and Marcus Award winner Sou Fujimoto, whose most recognizable projects include
the cloud-like Serpentine Gallery Pavilion (London, 2013) and transparent House NA (Tokyo, 2010).
Sou Fujimoto's work occupies the liminal space between the natural and the artificial. Fujimoto says that, into the complexity of the natural environment, "we inject our human sense of order (and vice versa), carrying forward a new definition of space which response to the changing times."
OUR LOCATION
DUMBO (short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) waterfront exemplifies the amalgamation of rich history and cutting-edge design like no other area of Brooklyn. We are proud to share home with over 2,000 creative companies, a thriving art community, and numerous galleries and museums.
PARTNERSHIP
We are eager to collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations working in a wide variety of disciplines. To propose a collaboration or inquire about renting our exhibition space, contact us at connect@usaginy.com