An opening reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday will launch an exhibition by Sudha Achar and Charlene Asato at the East Hawaii Cultural Center at 141 Kalakaua St. in downtown Hilo. The show will run until Aug. 29, from 10
An opening reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday will launch an exhibition by Sudha Achar and Charlene Asato at the East Hawaii Cultural Center at 141 Kalakaua St. in downtown Hilo. The show will run until Aug. 29, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Achar’s installations: “Freedom Songs, the Drummer a Beat Behind” in the Central Gallery and “Qualia” in the Mauka Gallery, evoke complex associations and thoughts, longings and moods. The two distinct installations include sculptures and paintings. They address the viewer directly as a literal presence in the spaces.
“Freedom Songs, the Drummer a Beat Behind,” combines several of her media interests as well her experimental approach to making sculpture.
Canvas is treated as a form in the round with the inclusion of an industrial material; paints and color infuse the objects with visual exuberance while forms morphin to negative spaces unexpectedly, effortlessly generating excitement and tension.
In “Qualia,” she has adopted the ancient wax technique of batik and modified it to suit her contemporary abstract painting style. She utilizes dyes and wax but her works are on paper. Varieties of papers have different tactile qualities as does wax; together they add a uniquely different sensibility to her work. One painting runs along the perimeter of the exhibition space, while other large works complete the site specific installation.
“Dimensional, Expansive Pages” is the title of Asato’s exhibit of artist’s books. These are hand bound, in which the structure of the book, the art work and the text are equally essential to the piece. “Pages” emerge in combinations of length, breadth, depth and height to engage the reader.
Two-dimensional planes explode and expand in three-dimensional forms, or they may open up to quiet charm. Asato incorporates varied art processes including calligraphy, photography, decorative paper designing, water color, pen-and-ink, embossing, linocuts, origami, assemblage and collage.
Asato was born in Mountain View and received a bachelor’s degree in art from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She moved to San Francisco for a number of years, returning to Mountain View in 2003.
She derives inspiration from Big Island aura and culture. In 2011, she published a book, “Fred Soriano, Kalai Ki‘i Pohaku, Carver of Stone,” incorporating her photography, calligraphy and brush painting.
Light refreshments will be served during the reception. For more information, please call the EHCC office at 961-5711.
