EXPO ‘CrossPass’ – Gallery Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco (USA) – 8 Sept.-9 Oct. 2016

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi: CrossPass

Velvet da Vinci

 

Artists’ Reception: Friday, September 9, 6-8pm

CrossPass is a project featuring collaborative and solo works by artists Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi that examines place through expanded media and the intimate lens of jewelry and small objects. The project targets a distinctive stretch of the Interstate 10 corridor connecting the unique borderplex region of El Paso, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The objective of CrossPass is to allow site-specific locations and the artists’ shared personal inquiries along this route to initiate the collection of images, video and sound which directly influences the creation of jewelry and objects. The viewer is asked to join them in their investigation of this land awash with dramatic terrain, vernacular structures and a multitude of boundaries; and, to uniquely discover these sites through the body.

 CrossPass Site #8 Mesa – Students parking their cars at the University of Texas at El Paso have a direct view of the border of different a country: Mexico. Here the divide is physically reinforced with the expansive border highway fence  // Crosspass: Demitra Ryan-Thomloudis « Over the Fence » installation of broochesDemitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 7, 2016, necklace Brass, powder coat, sand, found materials - Site #7 Mesa
El Paso is a city in constant flux. There you see the constant changing and rotating of businesses

 

Motoko Furuhashi was born in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. While growing up in Tokyo, she received her introduction to art from her grandfather. Her recent works are inspired by her experiences traveling around the world and the road that takes her from one place to another. Motoko received her MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Oakland Museum of California, and Nobana Art Works in Ginza in Tokyo. Publications include 500 Plastic Jewelry design by Lark Books, New Rings: 500+ Designs from Around the World by Nicolas Estrada, and Humor in Craft by Brigitte Martin.

Motoko Furuhashi, Anthony, 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

 

Furuhashi Artist Statement:
“I am deeply fascinated with imperfection and the complexity of the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death as the processes that govern life. The overall intent with my work has been to slow the viewer down and make what goes unnoticed important. By highlighting what is viewed as imperfect my work can bring relevance to the object. My belief is that objects only gain importance when the artist draws attention to them. My work is a shift in the meaning of perfection, transforming our perception of reality to new perspectives.”

 Motoko Furuhashi, NMSU Parking Lot (New Mexico State University), brooch – 2016, Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paintDemitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 9, 2016, Nickel silver, fabric, steel

 

Thomloudis Artist Statement:
“My jewelry is influenced by the ve­­rnacular architecture and landscapes of site-specific locations. This interest has led me to identify particular aesthetic characteristics and construction techniques that I employ to create works to be worn on the body. As an artist using jewelry and objects as an artistic format for self-expression, my work intends to challenge the construct of the medium as a means to examine value, material sign systems, and extensions of personal and place identity. By relating to the aesthetics of architecture, landscape, and place in this way, I see jewelry having the potential to connect us closer to the world we are surrounded by.”

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 5, 2016, Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, silver – Site #5 Anthony
The border town of Texas and New Mexico is Anthony. There Anthony, NM and Anthony, TX sit next to each other.

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 2, 2016, Nickel silver, brass, silver, land segment, ink
jet print, gesso – - Site #2 Las Cruces (Near NMSU)  From land of Native Americans, the Spanish territory of New Mexico has been established over the time. These streets created here continue to develop and allows us access to the land.

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi, Site 8, 2016, Steel, brass, cement, resin, pigment, fibers

Demitra Thomloudis and Motoko Furuhashi: Site #4, 2016 Steel, sand, dry grass, acrylic, paint, land segment, s

ilver Site #4 Vado
New Mexico’s relaxing life style is highlighted by the vivid colors of the orange and beige sand, dry green grass, tumbleweeds, and its rectangular shaped farm lands.  

 

Velvet da Vinci
2015 Polk Street,
San Francisco, CA 94109
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Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11am – 6pm, Sunday, 11am – 4pm