|
|
 |
IMAGES OF NATURE
Gallery X, Harlem, New York
See
more pictures taken at this exhibition...
Message from the artist
August 19, 2000
I first came to Harlem three years ago. Now, having returned,
I am deeply impressed by the changes made here. Seeing all
the new construction underway, I see change in Harlem's future.
I have had several shows in Japan and the United States. In
each show, I have tried to create a unique atmosphere in harmony
with the space in question. As soon as I saw this building,
once again I was determined to respond to its peculiarity.
In this context, using my art as a cross cultural too, I invite
views to experience people's lives from the bottom. I hope
you can enjoy this experience and contribute to changing Harlem
for the better.
About the Exhibition
By Justin Vitiello, Poet
Keiko's multi-modal installation gives the viewer a chance
to unfold, to disarm completely, either in response to, or
in emulation of, the fragile, transitory nature of her work.
Deeply tactile, neither cerebral nor ironic, the textures
(charcoal frottage on handmade paper) and dislocations (a
typewriter coated a with birch bark-like paper "skin")
induce a disorienting, yet very welcome sense of being in
the forest, alone with nature. A number of man made objects
are "reclaimed" by a laborious process of paper
coating and charcoal marks, and conversely, there are many
tall "trees" made by the artist herself from the
combined rubbings of various tree trunks. There is a video
of the artist absorbed in her work in the forest, refining
the work in an outdoor studio. The oriental sound accompaniment
eases one's way into the picture. The main gallery includes
a tree branch burned to provide charcoal, and a series of
4"x4" images strung together on a wire spanning
the gallery. Entitled "Layers of Space" each image
provokes a different emotion; the wire emphasizing the connectedness
of all moments.
It is gratifying to see conceptualism put in the service of
such far-reaching goals: Keiko wishes us to experience nature
as an all-embracing intelligence, a warming stream of spirit
flowing through all life, a spirit we must respect and remember
as the ground of our being. Beyond protecting, and working
with nature, we shall know we are one with nature.
How it finally all came together
By Armarni
A few weeks ago, Keiko Miyamori (Kay-ko Mi-ah-Moori) drove
from Philadelphia to New York in a rented truck filled with
her latest work fo an exhibition at Gallery X in Harlem. Odd;
the gallery was closed, the owner (Gulsun Erbil) nowhere to
be found. Undeterred, plucky Keiko went across the street
to Pat Simon of the Abyssinian Development Corp. and arranged
to use the basement of the building for her exhibition. After
coaxing the resident pit bull (a huge brute of a fellow!)
into the rear courtyard, Keiko cleaned out the basement. There
followed a one-day outdoor installation involving the art
of local children and "nature" banners hanging down
the building face; a personal invitation to the building's
residents, who, though initially concerned, ultimately gave
it their seal of approval; and a promotional barrage of flyers
and letters on the street, prompting a greater turnout than
at most Gallery X exhibitions. The show was a success, and
it hadn't even officially opened.
Unbeknownst to Keiko, Gulsun had to attend to a family emergency
and had no way of reaching her. Then two days ago Gulsun returned,
astounded to find a new gallery across the street! Keiko's
work is now safely installed in both spaces.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
