Let There Be Light!
A showcase of illuminated artwork will have visitors seeing stars.
Offering a break from the grey weather, ArtXchange Gallery’s current “Light” exhibition features illuminated artwork by five artists who explore the possibilities of light as a sculptural element – with fish and botanical sculptures to geometrical masterpieces – and draw inspiration from Asia and the Pacific Northwest.
“Light!” runs through Dec. 31, Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m, at ArtXchange Gallery, located at 512 First Ave. S. in Seattle. For more information, call (206) 839-0377 or visit www.artxchange.org.
June Sekiguchi
June Sekiguchi, “Lightboxes,” sizes vary, scrollcut wood and Plexi. Image credit: ArtXchange.
“I’m honored to be exhibiting with these artists,” said Seattle-area based artist June Sekiguchi, who presents a series of geometric lighted sculpture using unique scroll-cut wood patterns and shapes. “The show is very diverse in approach and outcome, but somehow works together within the diversity.”
Continuing her artistic interest in the meanings and histories of shape and pattern, Sekiguchi adds the element of light and shadow in her work.
“There is a reference to Japanese shoji screens and paper lanterns which I’ve always been drawn to for the subtle quality of light,” she said.
Sekiguchi has been presenting her work for almost 30 years, showing extensively in the Seattle area as well as Chicago, Houston, Arkansas, and Sweden. She has an artist-in-residency in Laos for a month this winter where she will be exhibiting work as well as observing traditional art practices of various forms.
“I collect patterns from travel and research and use them kind of like how a painter would use paint – they are part of my palette,” she said.
Studio 1thousand – Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn
Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn, “Bale,” 36” x 15” x 15,” Cherry wood and LED lights. Image credit: ArtXchange.
Like June Sekiguchi, Brooklyn-based artist Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn (of Studio 1thousand) is also inspired by the subtlety of light. Born and raised in Seattle, he draws inspiration from the natural low light of the Northwest.
“Lighting in the Northwest and sunlight in the Northwest is a very challenging subject,” he said. “It provides a lot of fuel to the fire in terms of creativity.”
Tsutakawa-Chinn uses a combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional handcraft techniques, incorporating LED lights into his works. His art has a Japanese influence with its clean designs and geometric patterns, he noted, adding that the LED lights add a sense of magic and wonderment.
Tsutakawa-Chinn’s family has deep artistic roots in the area – his grandfather is Northwest master sculptor George Tsutakawa and his mother, Mayumi Tsutakawa, is a former editor of the International Examiner.
“It’s kind of a homecoming,” he said about his Seattle premiere.
HiiH Lights – Lam Quing and Kestrel Gates
HiiH Lights, “Hive,” 24” x 10,” Paper, Wax, Metal, and Pigment. Image credit: ArtXchange.
Also making their ArtXchange debut, husband and wife team, Lam Quing and Kestrel Gates (of Portland-based business HiiH Lights) are exhibiting light sculptures in botanical shapes that they made by hand. The sculptures are made out of artisanal paper and other sustainable materials, many of which are provided to them by their friends and neighbors – beeswax from a local beekeeper, metal stands created by a neighbor, pulp from a nearby papermaker, natural dye from a fellow Portlander, and more.
“With the design process, the possibilities are so endless with this medium,” said Gates.
Their work varies from the botanical to abstract and are inspired by Quing’s childhood memories of moon festivals in Vietnam, where he grew up.
The couple also exhibits their work in Seattle on an on-going basis at Kobo at Higo. Visit www.koboseattle.com for details.
Elaine Hanowell
Elaine Hanowell, “Poetry Koi Chandelier,” 36” x 20,” Paper and Bamboo. Image credit: ArtXchange.
Also inspired by nature, Pacific Northwest native Elaine Hanowell, renowned for her lighted fish, presents a new school of aquatic chandeliers and standing box lanterns with hand-carved accents in this exhibition. She works primarily with wood and paper, and is influenced by extensive study and travel in Asia.
“Working with beautiful handmade and antique paper, I like the unexpected effect of depth with overlapping edges,” said Hanowell. “My travels have led to wonderful finds, such as delicate paper made alongside a river in Laos, and more commonly found incense wrappings.”
Elaine Hanowell has been making her unique lighted sculptures for over 20 years.
