Published
in the Weekly Volcano, Feb. 11, 2016
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| “Beioneural” mixed media sculpture with moss and LED lights by Jennifer Robbins |
Lisa Kinoshita curates art exhibits in fantastic venues
and presents the work in such a manner that it blends in with, becomes a part
of, and enhances what is already there. She did it beautifully at the Seaport
Museum last summer and has now done it again at the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in
Wright Park. In an exhibition called Evolution:
Art, Science and Adaptation, Kinoshita has brought together the works of 13
artists including works of mixed-media sculpture, video, and ceramics displayed
among the hundreds of exotic plants in the conservatory. The art fits in so naturally
and organically that viewers can easily miss some works. It is a smorgasbord of
beautiful, unusual and unexpected shapes, colors and materials on the floor and
in the air — all of which plays upon the theme of evolution, sometimes
humorously and sometimes with scientific seriousness.
A trio of Claudia Riedner’s popular giant
heads guard the entrance. They are like the Easter Island heads moved from a
bare hillside to a lush tropical jungle, and can be seen as either welcoming or
a warning. Enter at your own risk; you’ll be glad you did.
There are three unique sculptural works by
Yuki Nakomura in the exhibition, the most intriguing of which is one called
“Tree Map.” She traced the shapes of peeling bark on an allspice tree in the
conservatory, painted them in solid tones of red, yellow and blue and with
black and white stripes, and then put them back on the tree trunk. It is an
artist’s playful interpretation of a possible evolutionary change to the tree.
Another playful interpretation of
evolutionary change can be seen in Ed Kroupa’s “Cactopl,” an octopus-like
creature hiding in rocks on the floor made out of sculpted foam, toothpicks and
glass. With its big, blue glass eyes and tentacles partially buried in the
rocks, it seems to be stalking prey.
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| “Breaking Through” mixed-media sculpture by Don High. Photos by Lisa Kinoshita |
Don High’s “Breaking Through” is a
mixed-media sculptural tower of rocks with moss-covered tendrils sprouting
fountain-like from the top. Like many of the sculptural pieces, it seems to be
an organic part of the jungle of the conservatory.
Had Kinoshita not been there to point it
out to me, I would not have seen Brent Watanabe’s mixed-media installation
“Deposit.” There is a small table covered with a red checkerboard cloth. That
part was easy to see, and seemed out of place. But then Kinoshita told me to look
under the table. There I saw a video of a funny and kind of sad puppy projected
onto clear vinyl sheets.
One of the most beautiful pieces in the
show is Jennifer Robbins’ “Beioneural.” It is an organic sculpture of sticks,
raindeer moss, succulents and LED lights. Sprouting from either end of a
brilliant orange moss-covered stick with lights glowing from within are tree
branches or bright red and purple. Verbal description does not do it justice.
The beauty is breathtaking.
Another of the most fascinating installations
is Sean Alexander and Paul Cavanaugh’s “Ant Farm.” It is, in fact, just what
the title claims, an ant farm with living ants, hanging in air within sheets of
glass. Inside the glass are complementary blue and orange substances that look
like a three-dimensional Mark Rothko painting. The blue material is a gel
substance developed by NASA for sending ants into space, and it functions as
food, water source, and habitat.
There is so much more to see, and it is all
intelligent, thought-provoking, often surprising, and quite lovely to look at.
Evolution: Art, Science and Adaptation, Tuesday-Sunday,
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Third Thursday Art Walk, closing time is 7 p.m., $3
suggested donation, Seymour Botanical
Conservatory, 316 G Street in Wright Park, Tacoma.
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