Masumi Kataoka | Out of Longing | Reception
HCC Central | Fine Arts Center Gallery
Artist Reception | Thursday, October 12th | 6pm
Exhibition | August 21st — November 3rd
FREE
Registration is Not Necessary. Everyone is Welcome.
Description: A solo exhibition of new work by Masumi Kataoka.
This series is inspired by mythical creatures such as Chimera, animal hybrids as well as religious symbolism, Buddhist or Hindu statues that have multiple limbs or body parts. Kataoka is interested in how man’s longings creates symbolism. At the beginning, she combined cicada and snails, for their shared symbolism of rebirth/recycle. This coupling also came from an instinctive reaction to the earth-bond nature of snails—she wondered if they wished they could fly. In this body of work, she has also included different animals that may have opposing or unrelated symbolic meanings.
Her inspiration is based on man’s need to personify his wishes and longings for what does not exist, so that he can make sense of the world. By doing so, he becomes something against the natural order. Man can conceive what he can’t comprehend.
A human is a paradoxical creature in that his greatest longing puts him at odds with his very nature instead of trying to reconcile his place in the world.
Man is aware of his inevitable non-existence, yet utterly unable to do anything about it. Why would nature reach such a zenith? Man is at once a part of the natural order, yet not part of it.
Kataoka is also interested in the ability of jewelry to have a talisman-like ability—she wants her work to have that quality and still be very personal. Thus all her work is consciously placed within the wearable art genre.
Banner Image Credit | Provided by the artist.
Contact | Clara Hoag
Division Chair | Katherine Rhodes Fields
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• Venues and Galleries are ACCESSIBLE and OPEN to the public during CAMPUS HOURS except where otherwise noted. • ALL events are FREE except where otherwise noted. • PARK in student lots, FREE. • Houston Community College SUPPORTS ACADEMIC FREEDOM and First Amendment rights. • Some artwork may be objectionable to some viewers and some productions may contain sensitive language and/or subject matter.
This event is presented by the MEDIA, VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS Center of Excellence. DEAN, Colleen Reilly, PhD • MEDIA ARTS DIVISION (Filmmaking, Audio Recording, Music Business) CHAIR, Melvin Mays, MS. • VISUAL ARTS DIVISION (Studio Art & Art History) CHAIR, Katherine Rhodes Fields, MFA, MA TESL • PERFORMING ARTS DIVISION (Dance, Drama, Music) CHAIR, Susan Hines, MM •