I am still looking at the same sky no matter where I am

Artist
Yoshihiro Kitai
Exhibit dates
-
Location
Dengerink Administration Building Gallery

Artist’s statement: The exhibit "I am still looking at the same sky no matter where I am," explores the internal struggle between my Japanese roots and life in the United States. This phrase represents my acceptance of changing/shifting identity, emphasizing that values remain constant regardless of location. My abstract creations investigate human connections and the nuances of group dynamics in the American society that surrounds me. Influenced by traditional Japanese painting, I employ a mix of Japanese and Western materials in my prints. My work in ceramics includes an unexpected embrace of imperfection.

Cloud shapes often appear in traditional Japanese painting as the main object or the background. In my printed works, clouds become metaphors for the perspectives used in traditional Japanese painting, such as the bird’s eye view. These metaphors show the societal differences I perceive between group and individual values in Japan and the United States, and the resulting tension."

Kitai was born in Osaka, Japan and moved to the United States in his 20s. He studied and focused on ceramics before coming to the U.S. He holds an MFA in Printmaking and Drawing from Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. and a BFA in Printmaking from Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, Ore., where he is currently an associate professor in the printmaking department.

Pictured above: Conflux #18, Gansai, Gold leaf on paper on canvas, 2022, Courtesy of Froelick Gallery