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The Buffalo News
EAST MEETS WEST
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For a person of color raised in a predominantly white
suburban neighborhood, the trick is hanging on to your cultural heritage in
the face of popular associations derived from ethnic appearances while
simultaneously maintaining a unique inner sense of self. This cultural
balancing act is the premise of "Gayle Tanaka: Personal Effects,"
currently on view in El Museo Oller Y Diego Rivera. Tanaka, an Asian-American artist of Japanese descent, is the central
subject of her own series of richly layered metaphorical works, which
although traveling some well-worn territory thematically and artistically,
succeed in addressing universal realities that resonate across cultures. Several works are in the form of flow charts in which lines connect
symmetrically arranged symbolic images to centrally positioned
self-portraits. Tanaka seems to be using this structure to bring order to the
often-conflicting components of her existence. In "Flow Chart III"
for instance, an Asian horse and plow is seen at the top, while an oversized
tractor -- a symbol of Western industrial might -- extends below. A picture
of sandaled feet on the left contrasts with an image of feet in Western shoes
on the right. Much other imagery is more evocative or personal and not as
readily discernible. Throughout the work, images and text reveal multiple layers of symbolism
and word play. In the "White Shirt" series, for instance, four
large neck-to-waist self-portraits show the artist clad in dress shirts -- a
signal of cultural banality -- and set against clapboard backgrounds that
serve as a reference to "home" (a concept that appears throughout
the work). Each self-portrait is paired with a phrase with pointed cultural
implications. "Bleached white. Bleached right," reads one. Another
text states in part, "A white shirt is always correct. White is the
absence of all color." In yet another, the artist holds a fan while text
nearby states ironically, "I have never been to Japan." Another group of small sculptural works is comprised of three screened insect
cages, each holding a lighted cube of transparent portraits superimposed by
an Eastern mystical symbol. One, called "Boxing Memories/Buddhist Wheel
of Darma" contains portraits of Tanaka's grandparents, invoking
disturbing thoughts of the Japanese-American internment during World War II. There is no resolution here, only metaphorical ponderings that tap into a
universal human desire to define our place in the community in which we live
and, parenthetically, our place in the larger world. REVIEW WHAT: "Gayle Tanaka: Personal Effects," narrative photography
with text and found objects by this Asian-American artist WHEN: Through April 26 WHERE: El Museo Oller Y Diego Rivera, 91 Allen St. ADMISSION: Free INFO: 884-9693 |
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