Photo courtesy of Akihiko Izukura - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and the Academy Art Center at Linekona present “Life in Colors in Hawai‘i” by the internationally renowned textile artist, Akihiko Izukura, from Kyoto, Japan. “Life in Colors” is exhibited at two locations—both with indoor and outdoor displays; the show features impressive large-scale textile installations, splashes of color on the landscape, as well as innovative examples of his natural dyeing and weaving. The philosophy behind Izukura’s art pieces is based on sustainability and the desire to improve the surrounding environment and hand it down to the next generation in a better state than it is now. In conjunction with the show, Izukura offers personalized Senshokudō [dyeing and weaving] workshops at the Academy Art Center at Linekona and a public lecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Izukura was born into a family who for many generations weaved obi in Nishijin, Kyoto. After graduating from Doshisha University, he became president of his family’s business; he developed his own laboratory where he devoted himself to the study of dyeing and weaving. Almost immediately his textile works garnered national prizes. He reached a turning point when he received a major prize in 1986 for a work of braided tapestry made with chemical dyes; he discovered within himself a conceit—the conceit of trying to bring nature under his control. At that moment, he began his dialogue with nature; this personal journey continues today and has taken him to many places in Japan and overseas to demonstrate this ongoing dialogue.
Hawai‘i is an ideal location for “Life in Colors.” The natural beauty of the islands, with its underlying radiance and power, provides inspiration to Izukura, a natural textile artist, who seeks to find a path for people to coexist with nature.
