Gallery Nekogameya
“When you find the small building with the red door, please enter and sign in.” said the invitation.
Guest Book at Gallery Nekogameya
Outside Wakayama, Japan, a group of artists held an exhibit at the Nekogameya Art Gallery.
Launa MB Karasuno, my sister, was one of the artists displaying her work. Her series of black ink drawings on homemade paper was titled “On Different Lines”.
I rarely bother her when she is getting ready for an exhibit. Like all artists, she gets stressed and works long hours finishing up her paintings before the opening.
- On Different Lines, 2011 by Launa MB Karasuno
On first glance, her work looks so simple and I wonder why did it take so long to create this?
But as I stare, the detail and the meaning begin to emerge. And instead I wonder does she sit in front of her easel staring at the blank sheet, waiting for a shape or an image to grow in her mind?
Puddle, 2011, Launa MB Karasuno
As High as It was Deep, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
Cavernous, detail, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
Or does it come from her dreams?
Different than the decorative art we hang in our house, her work is difficult for me to describe. Modern, simple, organic, minimal, from the soul are some words that come to mind but they inadequately convey the depth and detail.
She sees something in the world that I do not.
a big one detail, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
She appears to be describing her feelings or perhaps the culture she lives in.
- Too Heavy, detail, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
Tethered - not, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
She’s a kind of poet, solidifying her entire expression into one thin line, describing her life in images.
- Went Another Way, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
When We Are Old and Still, Launa MB Karasuno, 2011
I think Japan is the right setting for her work. The exhibit has the feel of a Japanese choka, a brief 5-7 sound unit poem that reverberates with feeling.
My sense is her creativity is not based upon what she sees. It seeps from the very silent dimensions within her mind.
