Life in Colors 2014 - Akihiko Izukura
The Hawaii Museum of Contemporary Art is bringing to Hilo the Akihiko Izukura exhibition “Life in Colors 2014.” Akihiko Izukura is one of the premiere textile artists in Japan today, and is known the world over for his wearable art and his elegant, yet playful large-scale silk textile constructions. He will be traveling from Japan to Hilo to install a month long exhibition of sculpture, clothing and accessories at the museum, plus large silk sculptural installations in Kalakaua Park just across the street from EHCC/HMOCA.
This will be the first time Izukura is bringing his designer fashions to East Hawaii although he has had two very successful shows in Honolulu, in 2012 at the Honolulu Academy of Art in conjunction with the University of Hawaii Manoa.
He is offering his beautifully crafted women's apparel, accessories, and wearable art for sale in a "trunk show" at the museum, and there will be two fashion shows displaying his clothing on Saturday, May 3rd at 5:30 pm and on Saturday, May 17, also at 5:30 pm in the Performance Space on the second floor of EHCC/HMOCA. Admission for the fashion show is $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Please order tickets early, as there is limited seating.
By using local dye materials, collecting rain water to wash the textiles he creates and using the power of the sun to dry his creations Akihiko Izukura imparts a low impact ( “Zero Waste” as he calls it) on the environment. It is his vision that “Hawaii is the perfect place for the development of a silk industry. Everything is here, water, sun, natural resources,” he claims. To bring that vision into focus, Izukura is teaming up with local biologist Howard Takata, who has been raising silk-worms for many years on the Big Island of Hawaii and providing preschool and elementary students with silkworm eggs to stimulate their interest in silkworm raising. Mr. Takata will be giving a lecture detailing the life-cycle of the silkworm plus information on sustainable agriculture in conjunction with the Life in Colors show.
Reiko Mochinaga Brandon, former curator of textiles at the Honolulu Academy of Art, who is also a respected textile artist and has received the Living Treasure of Hawaii award will be showing her textile art in the Main Gallery at the museum as a stimulating counterpoint to Akihiko Izukura's work.
In addition to his exhibitions at the EHCC/Hawaii Museum of Contemporary Art and his large-scale sculptures in the Kalakaua Park, Akihiko Izukura will also be teaching workshops on Senshoku-Do, the traditional methods of dyeing, weaving, spinning, reeling, netting and braiding silk. These hands-on workshops will result in a lovely textile product by the end of the class. Materials are included in the workshop fee. For more information on his workshops, visit our Events page.
The Life in Colors 2014 exhibit opens on Friday, May 2 from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm, and will run through May 27th. The First Friday gala opening event will feature a free lecture by Sensei Izukura at 5:30 pm on his "Zero Waste" concept and his philosophy. EHCC/HMOCA will have special viewing hours for this exhibit, Tuesday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information call Hawaii Museum of Contemporary Art 1 – 808 – 961 5711 or email [email protected]. Information can also be viewed on the museum website: ehcc.org.