Keiko Hara: Topophilia Ma and Ki - Memory
An interview with artist Keiko Hara and Kentler International Drawing Space Executive Director Florence Neal about the multimedia print installation, Topophilia Ma and Ki –Memory, on view at the Red Hook space.
Keiko Hara moved to the United States from Japan in 1971 to further her education in the arts. She gained permanent residence in 1983 and currently lives in Walla Walla, WA. Hara’s innovative printmaking style applies experimental techniques and abstract sensibilities to the traditional Japanese woodcut (mokuhanga). Her recent work reflects the emotional impact of natural and nuclear disasters in her native country, specifically the 2011 Tohoku tsunami and Fukushima nuclear meltdown, as well as the personalgrief of closing her ancestral graveyard (living abroad, she was unable to care for the site). These experiences provoked in her deep feelings of loss, rebirth, and reflection on the interconnectedness of human experience in an increasingly conflicted world.
Hara’s current exhibition, Topophilia Ma and Ki – Memory, features layers of large, vivid prints and print collages suspended from the ceiling in a spiral formation along with mirrors, lights, and a sound component by Donald Groscost. The term Topophilia refers to love of place and the universal desire to hold onto ephemeral moments of beauty and sadness. Hara’s large-scale installation creates an encompassing, sensory environment where viewers’ thoughts and feelings become physical experiences. Described by the artist as a “hybrid of paper work,” this evocative exhibition furthers Kentler’s mission to broaden the scope of drawing, elevate the role of the artist in society, and inspire dialogue.
A brochure with an essay by Lilly Wei accompanies the exhibition. Kentler International Drawing Space is located at 353 Van Brunt Street (between Dikeman & Wolcott Streets) in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For more information, contact Executive Director Florence Neal, 718.875.2098 or visit www.kentlergallery.org.
