Another Cautionary Tale Comes to Mind (but immediately vanishes) is an exhibition featuring new works by Jacob Hashimoto. The opening reception will take place at the Mixografia Gallery (1419 E Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90011) on Saturday, January 14th from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Jacob Hashimoto will be giving an artist talk at 4:30 PM during the opening reception. The prints will be on view from January 14, 2017 until March 4, 2017.
Jacob Hashimoto’s series consists of three prints, each inspired by his practice of creating intricate installations from layers of rice paper and bamboo kites held together by fishing wire. The prints are composed of what appear to be delicate paper kites hanging by strings from atop a timeworn wooden surface, resembling the studies for installations that the artist creates in his studio.
When Hashimoto visited Mixografia in Los Angeles during the summer of 2015 to prepare the maquettes for his prints, he began his study by exploring the Mixografia Workshop to find a working area that reminded him of his studio in New York. He settled on a large wooden table, covered with a lifetime of scratches, peeling and marks, often used by the Workshop’s handyman. He started composing his maquette on the table, and soon came to realize that the surface was integral to his work. Hashimoto unscrewed and detached the tabletop from the work station, and re-purposed it as the backboard for his maquettes.
Not So Much Discoveries as Memories presents a minimal composition of semi-opaque rice paper kites, which spill organically from their wooden backdrop onto a blank surface below. Thin black string suspends the kites, which appear to hang in tension from the pushpins added to the print’s surface. This print’s streamlined design and muted color scheme allow the fine detail of the wooden work surface to stand out. The wooden backdrop is rife with scratches, stains and patches that lend an “unfinished” quality to the work, providing the viewer with an intimate glimpse into the artist’s working rituals.
In contrast, Tiny Rooms and Tender Promises takes on an air of meticulously controlled chaos and whimsy that reflects Hashimoto’s style of working in his studio. Dozens of brightly colored kites, varying in size, color and pattern, seem to be arranged randomly on the work surface, each one tangled and tucked beneath its neighbors. Despite appearances, the artist methodically planned and executed every aspect of this composition, from the position of the overturned kites to the slack and tension of each string.
Carefully composed by layering over 100 unique kites, Another Cautionary Tale Comes to Mind (but immediately vanishes) studies the interactions of various colors and shapes. The print focuses on building cohesive shapes out of overlapping areas of black and red, and carving out negative space between the clusters of kites. This print approaches the scale of Hashimoto’s installation work, making the project truly a feat of print-making.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mixografia.com
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