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21/6/2009

Yoshiko Wakabayashi

Angel Orensanz Foundation, New York

curated by Klara Palotai

The exhibition OSHIBANA NOW! presents a rich selection from the wide-ranging work of pressed flowers artist Yoshiko Wakabayashi. Her work is grounded in the universal interest of preserving the fleeting beauty of nature and in the long tradition of oshibana (pressed flower) in Japan.

Yoshiko Wakabayashi is a visual artist, who uses the splendid colors of the pressed flowers as her palette. Like pixels in a photograph, the shape of the plants are building blocks of her images: from a distance viewers only see the landscape, the garden, the figures. In these mixed media collages from the floral constituting elements a new image emerges. Only a closer look reveals all details: the textured surface of the multicolored pressed flowers, grasses, barks and stems.

In a timeless freeze-frame Yoshiko's extraordinary craftsmanship stops nature’s clock and prevents the inset of the process of decay. As a storyteller she revives the pressed flowers and makes them the vehicle of her narratives. Yoshiko Wakabayashi illustrated several books and for many years she has a weekly animation program on television created with her pressed flower collages.

The exhibition was assembled by the newly founded Japan Oshibana Art School in Tokyo. Yoshiko Wakabayashi’s artistic vision served as the inspiration for the school’s aesthetic direction and presently she is actively involved in the curriculum development. The goal of the school is to educate artists about the tradition of pressed flowers and offer new drying, pressing and preserving technologies based on recent scientific findings. This art form combines floral design with a wide range of artistic medium, including drawing, painting, animation and video. The instructor serves a guide and students are encouraged to experiment with many different mediums to find their own voice and express it in an individual artistic style.

The processes used in the school are based on the numerous patents Tamao Sugishima and Takemitsu Yuki, directors of Japan Oshibana Art School developed. They will present the technology and the special compressed air frames at the opening reception and are also available for workshops during the time of the exhibition. Pressed flower enthusiasts can make reservation to attend in person or to join the broadcast via the internet.

The exhibition is curated by Klara Palotai, organized by Shugo Nakanishi, an international arts promoter, and produced by Tamao Sugishima, Takemitsu Yuki, directors of Japan Oshibana Art School in cooperation with the Angel Orensanz Foundation, New York.

Opening Monday, June 22nd, from 6:30 to 9 pm
meet the artist and watch the oshibana demonstration by Tamao Sugishima & Takemitsu Yuki, directors of Japan Oshibana Art School

Angel Orensanz Foundation Art Gallery
172 Norfolk Street, New York, New York 10002
open on June 23 and 24 between 12 and 6 pm

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