The Art of Pearls by Eiji Uemura

Artist list

Eiji Uemura

The exhibition, Uemura’s eighth with the gallery, will feature ten of his Firefly cultured pearl necklaces and rings, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see Uemura's pioneering cultured pearl invention. In addition, the exhibition will include 400 pieces of Uemura’s unique wearable pearl art, including examples of traditional Makie (Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold and silver powder), Kiriko (faceted pearls), and a combination of pearls with Kurochiku (Black Bamboo) as well as rubies and diamonds. His oversized pearls with uncommon shapes like cubes will also be on display.

Renowned for his experimental approach to organic materials, Uemura and his team spent five years (2019-2024) developing their innovative process for making red and blue Firefly fluorescent cultured pearls. Pearls are inherently fluorescent, absorbing ultraviolet light and emitting visible light. The Firefly pearls were cultivated using this property and a unique technique, which was applied to the nucleus —the source of the pearl —and then placed in the oysters. The timing of nucleation and extraction from the oysters is key. When extracted, the pearls look like ordinary pearls in natural light but glow like fireflies in the dark, transforming traditional perceptions of jewelry and ornamentation. In keeping with his new modern approach to cultured pearl cultivation, Uemura’s fluorescent Firefly cultured pearls are not perfectly round like traditional cultured pearls; each one is different, maintaining a more natural shape.

My fluorescent Firefly pearls are a metaphor for hidden beauty, They symbolize the radiance we carry within, waiting to be seen under the right light.
/  Eiji Uemura

Gallery owner Max Fujishima expressed excitement about the exhibition: Eiji Uemura's work challenges the boundaries between art and science. His fluorescent “Firefly Pearls” are not just a technical marvel but a poetic statement about transformation and illumination.


Dates: June 24- June 28, 2025 at Gallery Max New York
Opening Reception: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 6-8 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, Noon - 6:00 pm
Admission: Free


About Eiji Uemura
Born in 1968, Eiji Uemura is a trailblazing Japanese pearl artist and a third-generation cultured pearl farmer from  Minami-Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Cultured pearl farming, started by Kokichi Mikimoto in 1893, involves breeding pearl oysters, implanting a mother-of-pearl bead in the oyster when the oyster is two to three years old, and then suspending the oyster in the sea for about a year before the perfectly round cultured pearl is removed.
In 1988, Uemura started designing pearl jewelry. By 2000, he was exhibiting his wearable art at various locations in Japan. By 2004, he was exhibiting internationally in France, Germany, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Macao, Malaysia, Taiwan, Lebanon, and other countries.  In 2015, he started showing with Max Gallery in New York.
Because the number of pearl farmers in Minami-Ise, Uemura’s hometown, is decreasing rapidly because of red tide and viral infections, Uemura, through his notoriety and work, is helping to revitalize the town and the pearl farming industry.

Uemura plans to develop a pearl farm in New York: https://eiji-pearl.net


About Gallery Max New York
Gallery Max New York is a premier contemporary art space dedicated to showcasing innovative and boundary-pushing works from established and emerging artists worldwide.