Marja-Leena Rathje

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by Marja-Leena

Michiko Suzuki exhibition

10:58 am in Art Exhibitions, Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena

An exciting exhibition featuring the printmaking of Michiko Suzuki is coming up this week!

SuzukiFloatingWorld1.jpg
Michiko Suzuki: Floating World 1 (Time Like Air)

FLOATING WORLD
April 24th to May 24th, 2008
Opening reception Thursday, April 24th, 6 – 8:00 pm
Bellevue Gallery
 2475 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver, BC

These excerpts from the invitation brochure say it best:

Michiko Suzuki is a Tokyo based artist active in Japan since 1975. In 2002, she was invited as a visiting artist in the Printmaking department at the University of Alberta, and then in 2003 was invited as the first artist-residence in the printmaking department of Capilano College, N.Vancouver, BC. There she worked on a collaboration with printmaking faculty Wayne Eastcott. They exhibited the results in 2003, 2005, and 2006 in Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, Canada.

She immigrated to Canada in 2006 (permanent residence status) and is living and working in Greater Vancouver. This is her first solo exhibition at a commercial gallery in Canada.

This exhibition’s title “Floating world” comes from the Japanese UKIYO-E (referring to Japanese traditional wood cuts). It means “Picture of the present”. UKIYO literally translates as, “Floating world”. Therefore, the theme is “Present life looks like a transient dream.”

Suzuki’s work is based on her perception of a world in which the sense of space and distance is shrinking, not only in the physical world but also in terms of the mental space that people tend to inhabit in a fast-paced urban society. She considers that the demands of contemporary life leave too little space for meditation, or the possibility of contemplating the present moment, resulting in humans being out of balance. As a response to this condition Suzuki incorporates empty space within much of her recent works. (Richard Noyce)

For that reason, Suzuki composes works that include elements of the past, present and future. She also employs another dimension (surreal image) that fits well with her work’s space, and deals with the connection between Reality and Illusion.

SuzukiSuddenTransportedHr.jpg
Michiko Suzuki: I Am Suddenly Transported Here

More examples of Michiko’s work may be seen on the Bellevue Gallery site under ‘Gallery Artists’.
Michiko is a friend and a fellow artist working in the same printmaking studio. She has been a subject of several blogposts here regarding her collaborations with Wayne Eastcott:
August 2004
October 2005
September 2006
October 2006

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by Marja-Leena

Wayne Eastcott & Michiko Suzuki

11:06 am in Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena

A fascinating collaboration between two internationally well-known printmakers has been happening in the printmaking studios at Capilano University, North Vancouver. Japanese artist, Michiko Suzuki of Tokyo, Japan became the University’s first artist-in-residence in the fall of 2003 and also began a collaboration with Wayne Eastcott, printmaking faculty of Studio Art.

As a member of the Art Institute (Printmaking) at Capilano University**, I was fortunate to observe Michiko’s interesting demonstrations and seminars on her use of Japanese papers (washi) and her unique technique of toner etching. Most exciting was watching Wayne & Michiko’s development of their collaborative works.

This ongoing series of print media works is called INTERCONNECTION. Some of the earliest of these were presented in an exhibition held in Capilano University’s Studio Art Gallery in December 2003. Read their exhibition statement (pdf) describing how their project developed, and what is “yobitsugi.”

Michiko has been here again this summer so both have been working hard to complete their project. They have allowed me to reproduce some of their work here (their copyright).

Eastcott_Suzuki_image1.jpg
Interconnection 2 – Yobitsugi 1 2003
inkjet, silkscreen, etching, chine collé & metallic pigment
78 x 113.5 cm.

Eastcott_Suzuki_image2.jpg
Interconnection 2 – Yobitsugi 2 2003
inkjet, silkscreen, etching, chine collé & metallic pigment
78 x 113.5 cm.

Eastcott_Suzuki_image3.jpg
Interconnection 3 (Recall 1) 2004
inkjet, silkscreen & metallic pigment
80 x 108 cm.

wayne_michiko.jpg
Michiko and Wayne in the printmaking studio at Capilano University

More about Wayne Eastcott including images of earlier works:
– Represented by Elliot Louis Gallery*, Vancouver
– **UPDATE: now represented by Bellevue Gallery in West Vancouver
– Grand Forks Art Gallery exhibition*
– Capilano University faculty web gallery*
– More images via Google Images

More about Michiko Suzuki, including some images:
– a review
– TrueNorth SNAP International Print Biennial 2002 2nd prize
– Lessedra (Bulgaria) World Art Print Annual 2004 participant
– Bimpe III Triennial First Prize
– Gallery 219 in Tokyo, Japan, will be showing Michiko’s personal work Oct.5-Oct. 20, 2004

* UPDATE January 2012: Some links have been updated or removed if expired.
Edited January 16th, 2013 to show larger images.
** UPDATE summer 2013: This program is no longer offered at Capilano University so link is gone

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by Marja-Leena

Michiko Suzuki: A Feeler

6:00 pm in Art Exhibitions, Art Institute (Printmaking), Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena

MichikoSuzuki_Feeler.jpg

Michiko has a solo exhibition of her latest prints coming up at the Bellevue Gallery in West Vancouver. The opening is on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14th, 6 to 8 pm. and the exhibition continues to March 16th, 2013.

Read about Michiko’s current theme and view some of her older works on Bellevue’s pages.
Michiko’s name and numerous exhibitions have appeared often on these pages — here are links to the most recent:
~ A four person exhibition in the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo
~ Our Institute group’s exhibition in Tokyo
~ Michiko’s previous solo exhibition at the Bellevue
Hope to see you on the 14th!

2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Michiko Suzuki: Flicker of Life

8:37 pm in Art Institute (Printmaking), Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena

MSuzukiFlickerofLife.jpg

I’ve written about my friend and fellow printmaker Michiko Suzuki several times here but I missed telling you about her most recent solo exhibition Flicker of Life ~ Selected Works (1993 – 2008) held at the Penticton Art Gallery in Penticton, BC. She now has a lovely slide show of it that I think you will enjoy, just click on slide show. What a beautiful space and Michiko’s work looked fantastic there!

Also, you may like to read her exhibition statement on the gallery’s site.

And here’s more about Michiko in my earlier posts:
August 2004
October 2005
September 2006
October 2006
April 2008
(UPDATE April 8th, 2009: The link to the slide show is now fixed. Please try it and let me know if there are still any problems viewing it. Thanks to J for spotting the error!)
UPDATE August 3rd, 2012: The exhibition is now also viewable in video.

19 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Michiko Suzuki: Hope Chests

2:15 pm in Art Exhibitions, Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Other artists by Marja-Leena

Suzuki_HopeChests_BAG
Above image from the Burnaby Art Gallery website

A few days ago we visited an exciting exhibition of mixed media work at the Burnaby Art Gallery, by artist and friend Michiko Suzuki. I really recommend art critic Robin Laurence’s excellent review in The Straight, much better said than I could. We enjoyed the tent-like displays which invited one to step inside to look at the “hope chests”, the framed prints of the girls, and the video. I could not resist purchasing the attractive little catalogue printed by the BAG. Below is one of the better installation shots that I was able to capture with my modest little pocket camera.

Suzuki_HopeChest_installation

We were very sad to have been unable to attend the opening because we had rarely seen old friends from Ontario visiting just on that day! I’m sure many of our mutual artist friends were there, whom I have missed and would have loved to meet. Michiko and I were part of the long-running Art Institute, Printmaking group at Capilano University, which some readers may recall was shut down along with all art programs in 2013. I recall she was working on some of the first pieces in this series back then and told me recently the whole series took her five years. She is one of the hardest working artists I have ever known personally, and one who has exhibited widely. If interested, you may find some of my postings about them here. (Please ignore the other famous Suzuki that comes up in that search.)

8 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Michiko Suzuki’s exhibition

12:01 am in Art Exhibitions, Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Other artists by Marja-Leena

Michiko sent this link about her newly opened exhibition in Tokyo’s Gallery 219. Have a look at her series of archival inkjet prints. You may remember Michiko from my article about her collaboration with Wayne Eastcott.

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by Marja-Leena

Interconnection: Eastcott / Suzuki

11:31 am in Art Exhibitions, Art Institute (Printmaking), Digital printmaking, Other artists by Marja-Leena

EastSuz-Interconnection6.jpg

Interconnection 6 (Interior 3)
Michiko Suzuki & Wayne Eastcott
inkjet, toner etching and Japanese paint on torinoko paper

In August 2004, I wrote about a fascinating collaboration between printmakers Michiko Suzuki of Tokyo and Wayne Eastcott of Vancouver. They had a very successful exhibition in June, 2005 in Gallery Concept 21, Tokyo and now it will be exhibiting in Vancouver.

Interconnection – a transpacific printmaking collaboration
November 3rd to November 20th, 2005
Opening reception on Thursday Nov. 3rd, 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
Elliott Louis Gallery, 1540 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Fortunately for internet gallery visitors, Elliott Louis Gallery has a good website**, with a press release and images of the works, and the artists’ statement:

It is dangerous for many artists, who are individualists, to attempt a collaboration. But we believe it is possible within the printmaking world. Print artists require the use of both human hands and tools (traditional or new). Therefore, the artist must depend upon outside processes not only themselves. Already printmaking is a kind of collaboration with some hidden potential.

This exhibition is the result of a collaboration that we commenced in 2002. However, the first work was not complete until the fall of 2003 because we spent many months (Tokyo – Vancouver e-mails, telephone calls, faxes etc.) trying to really understand each other’s interests, ideas and aesthetics. We wanted it to be a true collaboration and not merely two artists working on the same piece of paper.

The project is called Interconnection because it represents an interconnection on many levels: between ourselves as individuals, our cultures (Canada / Japan), the classically etched and digital generated images, the natural, human, technological forms, even the paper (classic Japanese Washi or Western papers etc.)

Finally the works are brought to completion by another interconnection: that between our pieces and the viewer.

The Japanese Consul will be attending the opening reception and Vancouver’s Japanese-Canadian media are covering this exhibition generously, including multicultural Radio CHMB AM1320 doing a live interview of the artists on November 2nd, 2005 from 7 – 8 pm.

** NB UPDATE: JUNE 1st, 2006. Wayne Eastcott and Michiko Suzuki are now represented by the new Bellevue Gallery, 2475 Bellevue Avenue, in West Vancouver. Therefore the former linked pages no longer exist and have been removed.

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by Marja-Leena

new David Suzuki Foundation website

6:15 pm in Canada and BC, Environment, Other artists by Marja-Leena

I’m claiming bragging rights and motherly pride in sharing news about what our daughter Erika has been working on for many months. Now launched, it’s the new website for the David Suzuki Foundation! It’s still a work in progress, she says, with more work ahead refining and adding features and responding to public input. Read all about it on Erika’s blog and please visit the DSF site in-depth for inspiring articles on how even small acts can make a difference on “environmental issues, sustainability and health.”

Most Canadians know geneticist Dr. David Suzuki who has been our environmental hero far longer than Al Gore! I may have mentioned him the first time on this blog on an earth day post. He’s probably best known through his thirty decades long broadcasting career with programs like The Nature of Things, (such as the one on crows recently) and science films such as The Geologic Journey series I wrote about last year.

As a family, we’ve taken different steps such as composting for over 35 years, but our Erika still nudges us in the right direction now and then. Not long ago, she suggested I not buy regular cocoa because it’s harvested using child labour. Despite the extra cost, I now feed my addiction with a fair trade organic choice along with the fair trade coffee I’ve already been buying. We’re not perfect but it all helps!

I hope you enjoy browsing through the new website for the David Suzuki Foundation. I’m proud of Erika’s graphic design work and her deep commitment to the cause and so very pleased for her that she loves her job!

erika-digs-tshirt_small.jpg
photo credit: Nelson Agustin

9 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Eastcott/Suzuki at Bellevue

10:31 am in Art Exhibitions, Other artists, Printmaking by Marja-Leena

invitation-card-S1.jpg

INTERCONNNECTION, Wayne Eastcott and Michiko Suzuki’s collaborative printmaking project is opening in Bellevue Gallery next week. This is a recently opened new gallery that is celebrating its grand opening with this exhibition, to be introduced by renowned Canadian artist Gordon Smith.

OPENING: Thursday, September 28th, 2006 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Exhibition continues to October 29th, 2006
Bellevue Gallery, 2475 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver, BC

Some excerpts from the exhibition statement:

This exhibition is the result of a collaboration that we commenced in 2002. However, the first work was not complete until the fall of 2003 because we spent many months trying to really understand each other’s interests, ideas and aesthetics. We wanted it to be a true collaboration and not merely two artists working on the same piece of paper.

The project is called INTERCONNECTION because it represents an interconnection on many levels: between ourselves as individuals, our cultures (Canada/Japan), the classical and technological forms, even the paper (classic Japanese Washi or Western papers etc.). Finally the works are brought to completion by another interconnection: that between our pieces and the viewer.

Please read more about these two printmakers’ collaboration in two articles written on August 23rd, 2004 and October 31st, 2005.

4 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

forces of nature

11:47 am in Canada and BC, Current Events, Environment, Films by Marja-Leena

wintersun2011.jpg

I’ve been struggling to put words together, more than is usual even for me, about the horrific events in Japan, all that devastation caused not just by a powerful earthquake in a country that has them so frequently but the even more destructive tsunami that followed, then the nuclear explosions and meltdowns that seem to be continuing and is so worrying for all of us around the world.

Our past several days have been focused on the news coming over the internet and television, a long phone chat with an older Japanese-Canadian friend living in Ontario, and a call and email from our eldest daughter wondering about some of her friends in Japan where she’d been an exchange student and about an exchange student who stayed with us several months long ago. We have many Japanese friends here in Vancouver that we are thinking of and wondering how their families back in Japan are doing. Knowing these people is making the tragedy even more profoundly felt. There are always earthquakes and tragedies around the world, and we feel sorrow for all the people that are hurt, but this one seems to have even more of an impact on us this weekend because of some of those personal connnections, I suppose.

And we cannot forget that the west coast of Canada is also in a powerful earthquake zone. How prepared are we?

Yesterday, Sunday evening, we turned on the TV to something else, the film Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie on CBC. Please read Erika’s blog post about this profoundly moving and powerful film that we recommend highly and found curiously and disturbingly timely right now. The film covers Dr. Suzuki’s own history as a Japanese-Canadian child sent to an internment camp during the second World War, his experiences with racism, learning about Hiroshima, then becoming a scientist and eventually the ‘godfather of environmentalism in Canada’, all interspersed with his Legacy lecture, which reminds us how much human interference has created a huge problem on the natural world. The film has been out in theatres for a while and is still being shown here and there. If you can pick up CBC TV where you are, it will be aired again on April 3rd. Lots of film clips at the CBC link to explore as well, and there is the book too, all these to celebrate Suzuki’s upcoming 75th birthday.

We went to bed last night with sore hearts for our friends and worries for the future of this planet and our children, while trying to hold close David Suzuki’s words of hope.

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