On the Way #1 Acrylic & Thread on Wood 19” x 20”
The colorful three-dimensional art forms of Japanese artist Yoshiko Kanai are as dynamic as they are profound. Constructed using bright glossy threads, acrylic paints, and pieces of wood, Kanai’s art pieces are texturally rich and visually inspiring. Each piece is composed of patterns that reflect both the natural and human world simultaneously in physical and metaphysical ways, where the patterns are then woven together to create a thematic whole. What results are marvelous constructions that compel the viewer to delve deeper and find the intricate meanings woven within the threads while experiencing the profound sense of spiritual peace that is organic to the artwork as a whole.
Above all, Kanai’s ethnic textural work is meant to be a journey, both for her viewers but also for herself, captured in the metaphor of fabric and textiles. And as with all journeys, the possibilities contained in such a metaphor are virtually endless. As Kanai explains, “My work is a reflection of my life. It contains everything about myself in the present and the past strung through by a long piece of thread. Now these beautiful threads will lead me to new creative possibilities.”