Annoucements/News

Open Studio!

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

We are participating in efa Open Studio 2010, starting tomorrow, Thursday the Oct. 14th. Please stop by to see what we are up to!

Scarlet Birds, Crimson Sky

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

A forty foot long sheet of linen fabric hangs from the ceiling. On the fabric you see hand-dyed logos of Japanese commercial snacks, tobacco brands and images taken from Okinawa’s post-war history along with traditional domestic patterns. This hand-dye technique is called “Bingata” and is originated in Okinawa.

The tables made in the same dimensions as the fabric run across the room diagonally to the fabric above, and there are paper boxes of snacks, kleenex tissue papers and fast food. You may notice these are the stencil materials used to dye the patterns by seeing the reflections of the motifs cut out of the boxes.

These boxes and packages can be seen anywhere in Japan as they are everyday commercial items that are sold nationwide. This suggests that the history and the problems in Okinawa are not only of Okinawa but all over Japan.

Dawn Series

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Lustrous-gold butterfly chrysalises are hung from a luxurious designer-brand product or weapons like handgun and sharp edges of knives.

By creating connections between the organic form of the fragile chrysalis and artificial products the artist brings up the questions of the relationship of two complete different set of values and meaning of existence.

Rain Forest

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Toilet rolls sprouting and spreading branches are hung from ceiling to create a “forest”. There is a moment when the cut-out branches and leaves start holding themselves up with their own strength. It is as if I am helping the paper awakens its ability to become live.

You-I, You-I

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The artist came to realize how the traditional culture of Okinawa, his homeland, has been isolated from its origins by the political pressures exerted by the Japanese and American Military. He projected the issue onto the pattern of Okinawan traditional Bingata Kimono.

Yuken redesigned the patterns, which still follow traditional structures. You see the U.S. jet fighter and V-22 Osprey flying through the colorful clouds, and paratroopers float among the domestic Okinawan butterflies.

There are representations of different seasons on the same plate on a Bingata kimono. This multi-dimensional expression makes it possible for several layers of stories to exist together. Since Okinawa has a long history of occupation, its culture is a mix of its traditional culture and two foreign (Japan & USA) cultures. Yuken believes that the aesthetics of Bingata is a mirror of Okinawan history itself.

Notice - Forest

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The artist cuts out shapes of tree branches and leaves on one side of disposable paper bags. Assembling a tree from the cut-out parts, there is a tree standing in a bag. However it seems like the bag is holding the fragile tree inside, it is the strength of the tree that is holding the bag up. When you see it under the natural light, the delicate tree inside the paper bag shows us the strength and the proof of existence of living tree. The each tree has a model. They are the trees that the artist saw in his neighborhood or from where he has traveled. The each bag holds a portrait of a tree inside.

Corner Forest

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Toilet rolls sprouting and spreading branches are installed to a wall to create a forest. There is a moment when the cut-out branches and leaves start holding themselves up with their own strength. It is as if I am helping the paper awakens its ability to come to life.

Heroes

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

A series of portraits. Dyed with Okinawan traditional Bingata method, the celebrity figures that are closely related to Okinawan history are depicted with traditional color and patterns.

Earn lots of money. No need to write any letters, Just send home the money first

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

This 5 channel video installation documents the journey of small Origami boats, fitted with national flags of various countries, as they travel along the gutter of a street in Brooklyn’s low-rent neighborhood of many South American immigrants, Bushwick, where the artist used to reside. The movies are projected on empty cardboard boxes scattered in the space. One video shows a team of firemen opening a fire hydrant to flood the street, a neighborhood substitute for air-conditioning. Another shows a kid picking one of the paper boats out of the water. Those lively little boats carry the life stories of the immigrants, and also the artist himself’s history of moving from Japan to the United States.

The title of the piece references a common early 20th century colloquial farewell at the Okinawa docks as ships carried family members away to foreign lands in search of a better life.