 |
In my art, I often apply Yin and Yang concept,
two opposing forces that together make up unified world,
believing the two polarities enhance the artistic vision
dramatically and, at the same time, hoping the truth will
be felt through their interaction. In the Look Closer project,
I combine painting and sculptural aspects in one way to
express this concept. On the front of the box-shaped artwork
is a portion of a building wall with some holes, cracks,
and openings which invite viewers to look inside and get
closer to see the painting inside. In some pieces, light(s)
are placed inside the piece and in some other pieces, the
ceiling light will be drawn into the inside of the piece
through an opening on top of the box frame. Mirrors are
embedded in the interior of the piece and reflect the light
inside so that the viewers are more inclined to look closer
to see the inside.
In these pieces, the juxtapositions are applied
in the images as well, in order to express Yin and Yang
in another way. In LC-1, the top image is depicted with
tears, and the bottom is smiling. In LC-2, we see an innocent
face and a disturbed one. In LC-3, I applied several opposite
elements to the two images left and right respectively:
dark and bright, smooth and rough, zoomed out and zoomed
in, and ancient Western style and contemporary Eastern style.
In LC-4, I worked with concepts of eternity and mortality.
The wall will symbolize strength yet fragility
– it will decay one day. The portrait will represent
long lasting beauty and yet impermanence – it will
disappear someday. Everything will be gone. Really? Nothing
will stay? My mind is telling me otherwise. I want to grasp
something intangible, indescribable, and invisible that
exists in human activities and that will stay forever in
our lives and in me. In this project, I am looking for,
yet again, a new way to capture the overwhelming power or
universal energy that I feel stronger and stronger day in
and day out.
Yasuji Paul Hamanaka
Click here to return to the Exhibitions
main page
|
|
