NEWS RELEASE Contact: MikeMing: surfnuts195@hotmail.com or mikeming195@gmail.com Uplink X Gallery, Shibuya , Tokyo presents 'NEXT!!' Adventures in Visual Expressions June 5, 2008–June 16, 2008  Shibuya— 'NEXT' is a collection of art work from six artists who are currently in their 'next' mode of thinking. It is a show title, a state of mind, a literal statement and current definition of the moment. It is the second art show curated by Mike Ming for Uplink Gallery X. The art show features six artists who work and think in visual expressive mediums. The six artists represented for this show are, Jonas Kaku, Yuri Shibuya, Kenji Hirata, Chris Mendoza, Aiko Nakagawa and Mike Ming. All the artists create works that represents their state of mind and the flow of their own evolution in creating art and individual expression.  The works on display will show six approaches in visual expressions. While most of the artists are maintaining the practice of handmade images, which is immersed in styles of traditional drawing and painting or conventional printing techniques, the other artists are working with unconventional materials like glass and photo to maniuplate the audiences' ideas of what is concidered to be visual art.  Jonas Kaku is a glass artist. He is a disciple of Okinawanian style glass blowing. He takes Okinawanian spirit and fuses it with his Shonan Ocean spirit and creates works that expresses his ocean connection and urban influences. Yuri Shibuya is a free spirited documentary photographer whose intimate sense of expression with her subjects and exotic locations are harnessed and re released during and after her trip. She takes the images and experiences and re creates a new standard of image making, delicate and Bold. Kenji Hirata's visual creations are an expression of inner world sound environments. His visual works depicting the audio language into visual language with all the subtle sounds of hard computer fusions. Chris Mendoza draws line compositions with an organic energy flow visualism influenced from listening to a steady auditory diet of latin salsa and mid-1980's hiphop. His visual renderings reminisce of latin american pictography finding its characteristic ways in the present-future artist living in a modern day new york city, making colorful pieces in black books, circa the days of more colorful NYCTA vehicles. It is his retro-styled futuristic next. Aiko Nakagawa was a pinnacle member of the now famed Faile Collective. As a graduate member, she continues to create larger format silk screens and stencils and paintings derived from popular images and themes of sexuality and popular icons. Mike Ming is a visual negotiator. He negotiates the use of space like a realtor negotiates a floor plan. His mind is a flooded mass of confusion with loosely connected lines, colors and images tying a theme or series with visual expressive ideas that meanders.  “This is a groundbreaking and visually stunning exhibition. Uplink X Gallery, Mike Ming and DOOOR is proud to present these challenging works,” says the curator’s executive director, Mike Ming.