Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi: CrossPass

CrossPath_PR_1000September 8-October 9, 2016

Artists’ Reception: Friday, September 9, 6-8pm

CrossPass is a project featuring collaborative and solo works by artists Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi that examines place through expanded media and the intimate lens of jewelry and small objects. The project targets a distinctive stretch of the Interstate 10 corridor connecting the unique borderplex region of El Paso, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The objective of CrossPass is to allow site-specific locations and the artists’ shared personal inquiries along this route to initiate the collection of images, video and sound which directly influences the creation of jewelry and objects. The viewer is asked to join them in their investigation of this land awash with dramatic terrain, vernacular structures and a multitude of boundaries; and, to uniquely discover these sites through the body.

About the Artists:

Motoko Furuhashi was born in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. While growing up in Tokyo, she received her introduction to art from her grandfather. Her recent works are inspired by her experiences traveling around the world and the road that takes her from one place to another. Motoko received her MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Oakland Museum of California, and Nobana Art Works in Ginza in Tokyo. Publications include 500 Plastic Jewelry design by Lark Books, New Rings: 500+ Designs from Around the World by Nicolas Estrada, and Humor in Craft by Brigitte Martin.

Furuhashi Artist Statement:

“I am deeply fascinated with imperfection and the complexity of the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death as the processes that govern life. The overall intent with my work has been to slow the viewer down and make what goes unnoticed important. By highlighting what is viewed as imperfect my work can bring relevance to the object. My belief is that objects only gain importance when the artist draws attention to them. My work is a shift in the meaning of perfection, transforming our perception of reality to new perspectives.”

Demitra Thomloudis is a studio jeweler, visual artist, and an Assistant Professor in the Jewelry and Metalwork at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. Originally from the Philadelphia area, she received her MFA from San Diego State University and her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her work is recognized nationally and internationally and she has exhibited, lectured, and taught at institutions, fairs, and events such as SOFA Chicago, Athens (Greece) Jewellery Week, and the Penland School of Crafts. Artist residencies include a yearlong appointment at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Smitten Forum. Demitra is included in publications such as 500 Plastic and Resin Jewelry, 500 Enameled Objects, and The Art of Jewelry: Plastic & Resin: Techniques, Projects and Inspiration. Demitra’s work is represented by Charon Kransen Arts-USA, Alliages Organization-France, and Penland Gallery at the Penland School of Crafts-USA.

Thomloudis Artist Statement:

“My jewelry is influenced by the ve­­rnacular architecture and landscapes of site-specific locations. This interest has led me to identify particular aesthetic characteristics and construction techniques that I employ to create works to be worn on the body. As an artist using jewelry and objects as an artistic format for self-expression, my work intends to challenge the construct of the medium as a means to examine value, material sign systems, and extensions of personal and place identity. By relating to the aesthetics of architecture, landscape, and place in this way, I see jewelry having the potential to connect us closer to the world we are surrounded by.”

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 1, 2016, Steel, enamel, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 1, 2016, Steel, enamel, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 2, 2016, Nickel silver, brass, silver, land segment, ink jet print, gesso

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 2, 2016, Nickel silver, brass, silver, land segment, ink jet print, gesso

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 3, 2016, Nickel silver, steel, sand

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 3, 2016, Nickel silver, steel, sand

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 4, 2016, Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 4, 2016, Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 5, 2016, Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 5, 2016, Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, silver

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 7, 2016, Brass, powder coat, sand, found materials

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 7, 2016, Brass, powder coat, sand, found materials

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 8, 2016, Steel, brass, cement, resin, pigment, fibers

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 8, 2016, Steel, brass, cement, resin, pigment, fibers

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 9, 2016, Nickel silver, fabric, steel

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 9, 2016, Nickel silver, fabric, steel

Demitra Thomloudis, Over the Fence, Installation, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Over the Fence, Installation, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhhood #4, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhood #4, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhhood #1, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhood #1, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhhood #2, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Demitra Thomloudis, Neighborhood #2, Detail from the installation Over the Fence, 2016, Cement, brass, paint, graphite pencil, steel, resin

Motoko Furuhashi, NMSU Parking Lot (New Mexico State University), 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, NMSU Parking Lot (New Mexico State University), 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Mesilla, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Mesilla, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Baylor Canyon Path, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Anthony, Sculpture, 2016, Tape

Motoko Furuhashi, Anthony, Sculpture, 2016, Tape

Motoko Furuhashi, New Road, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

 

Motoko Furuhashi, Sonoma Ranch, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Anthony, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

Motoko Furuhashi, Baylor Canyon Path, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

NMSU (New Mexico State University), Sculpture, Tape

Motoko Furuhashi, NMSU (New Mexico State University), Sculpture, 2016, Tape

Motoko Furuhashi, Rio Grande, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

 

 

Junko Iijima: Migration

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September 8 – October 9, 2016
Artist’s Reception: Friday, September 9, 6-8pm

San Francisco’s Velvet da Vinci is proud to present Junko Iijima: Migration, a special installation by the Portland based artist.  The show will run from September 8 through October 9, 2016.  An opening reception with the artist will take place on Friday, September 9 from 6-8pm.

Iijima’s “Migration” installation represents an exploration of the melding and divergence of cultural signifiers from Japan with global popular culture. Created during her second Arts/Industry iron-casting residency at the Kohler Company in Wisconsin, this series of small iron and brass sculptures draws formal inspiration from the traditional Japanese Nanbu tea kettle, as well as American pop aesthetics. On her most recent body of work, the artist states:

“I am attracted to objects that retain their cultural identities, obvious stereotypes. I observe and investigate the mixing of cultures through their commodities; how objects from different cultures influence and impact one another, in particular, the intertwining of the contemporary culture of Japan, where I’m from, and America, where I live.

Through my work, I explore the cultural and social underpinnings of both decorative and functional objects. Recently I have been exploring traditional cast-iron patterning from Japanese Nanbu Ironware (best known as black iron tea kettle) while considering pop culture forms. Small bronze sculptures and the drawings demonstrate the melding of cultural signifiers through commodities, and are part of an on-going study and examination of visual languages; creating hybrids of the past and present, from the East and the West.”

Iijima came to the United States as a high school exchange student from Tokyo, Japan. Fascinated by the diversity of American culture and the US educational system, Iijima remained in the states and received her Masters in Metalsmithing from the University of Oregon. She currently teaches Metalsmithing and 3D Foundation courses at several colleges in the Portland, Oregon area.

 Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass

Junko Iijima, Migration (Detail), 2016, Iron, brass