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DiggMira Nakashima 2006
November 8, 2006- December 22, 2006
Mira Nakashima
Perry Rubenstein Gallery
534 W 24th StPerry Rubenstein Gallery and Cristina Grajales Inc. are pleased to present an exhibition of recent work by the designer Mira Nakashima. Using redwood as her medium, Nakashima transforms this rare material into functional objects and furniture. The wood, over 25 years old, is Nakashima's first consideration; it is the raw material that informs the piece that will be created. Though the grains and rough edges are an essential factor in the organic shapes that ensue, Nakashima's subtle details - a butterfly joint securing a tabletop, a razor-sharp drawer that slides out from the underside of a desk - are thoroughly modern and rife with the peculiarities and meticulousness of sculptural object. This exhibition marks the first occasion that work by Mira Nakashima will be exhibited in a contemporary art gallery setting.
Handmade in the woodworking studio of her late father, George Nakashima, Mira Nakashima's artistry encourages harmony and elegance, while maintaining and refining the redwoods' bucolic characteristics. Accordingly, each piece stands as a contemporary transformation paying homage to the grandeur of its predecessor. Nakashima presents this work as both a marriage of natural form and daily function, as well as blending the physical environment with her traditional spiritually.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Mira Nakashima spent most of her youth in the New Hope, Pennsylvania workshop of her illustrious father George Nakashima. After graduating from Harvard in 1963 and earning a Masters Degree in architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo in 1966, Mira Nakashima returned to Pennsylvania and became an integral addition to her father's studio. After her father's death in 1990, Nakashima took over as the main creative director of the Nakashima studio and sustained her father's tradition of emphasizing the woodworker's responsibility to the sacrificed tree. With over 40 years of practice in the studio, Mira Nakashima has an unprecedented intuitive and technical knowledge of the character and qualities of wood. Through her insights, Nakashima continues with the exceptional craftsmanship her family firm is renowned for and takes the traditional designs to a new artistic level.
On November 14 at 8:15PM, Mira Nakashima will participate in a dialogue with Ben Bajorek at the 92nd Street Y as part of the "Dialogues with Design Legends" series. For tickets, contact the 92nd Street Y at 212 415 5500.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show
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