I’ll be showing my new calligraphy art pieces, “静と動 – Stillness and Motion-“, created for a “structural constraint” group exhibition titled “48 PILLARS” featuring 24 artists held at Arc Gallery; opening reception is next Saturday March 11th from 7pm.
Japanese Calligraphy is a unique art form in that it seeks to deconstruct, rearrange and infuse existing linguistic elements into a a physical expression of an idea.
My idea was to work on a set of words that with contrasting meanings but whose vertically-shaped characters compliment each other and the rectangular panels that house them. Choosing characters with this shape allows me to focus the energy of the composition from the top of the panel to the bottom and beyond. Traditionally, Japanese reads from right to left: from the right “静 (Stillness)”, and to the left “動 (Motion)”.
The chemistry between tanboku (light-colored sumi ink) and Japanese gasen paper is vivid and magical. From the moment the ink touches the paper, the ink fuses with paper and ripples out. With the right balance of water and sumi written in an unbroken motion, clear brush stroke edges emerge as the water evaporates. I chose warm black sumi to work on this piece, which, when mixed with the right amount of water, leaves behind hues of gray that illuminate the distinction between light and shadow.
Stillness is clear, graceful and light; Motion is blurred, dynamic and bold. Together, it completes the world of light and shadow, and neither exists without the other.
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48 PILLARS
Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 11th, 7-9PM
Artists Talk and Closing Reception:
Saturday, April 15th, 12-3PM
Arc Gallery
1246 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA
“24 local Bay Area artists will produce two pieces each on these identically sized panels that will exactly ring the gallery – 48 works total.
This is the second exhibition at Arc Gallery that is essentially a “structural constraint” show. The other exhibition is our iconic annual, end of summer exhibition, FourSquared. In both exhibitions, the artists are unconstrained in subject matter except to the extent that works need to be a series; but they are constrained in format. It should be visually stunning. ”
– Michael Yochum, Curator
Featured artists: Jason Avery, Lexie Bouwsma, Elaine Coombs, Robin Denevan, Sara Dykstra, Kim Frohsin, Paul Gibson, Christine Aria Hostetler & Joel Daniel Phillips, Kay Kang, Bruce Katz, Joshua Young Lee, Katja Leibenath, Saundra Mcpherson, Erika Meriaux, Annamarie Pabst, Silvia Poloto, Gail Ragains, Rachel Sager, Kirsten Tradowsky, Beth Davila Waldman, Ealish Wilson, John Wood, Sandra Yagi, Aoi Yamaguchi.