StarBulletin.com

Women artists share spotlight


By

POSTED: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Three women artists share the space at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center through May 1, and while their works are distinct in style, they each produce art that is reflective of what's happening in their lives and community, says Inger Tully, curator of the gallery.

“;Wendy Kawabata: Pull, Poke, Fold”; features materials such as logs and recycled books that are used to produce “;very delicate work,”; Tully says.

Kawabata, a University of Hawaii art professor, wraps, folds, stacks, hooks and pokes her material in ways related to “;the history of utilitarian feminine craft.”; Kawabata calls the tasks “;repetitive and meditative acts”; that “;make space for quiet, association and attentiveness.”;

Kauai painter Melinda Morey presents new works of people at the shoreline in “;At the Edge.”;

Her work begins with snapshots that are translated onto the canvas minus the environment. What's left are paintings of people in action that convey “;a sense of absorption,”; Tully says.

“;Melinda is interested in the parallels of hip-hop culture and surf culture. There's the same energy on the street and at the beach, that sense of 'What's going to happen next?' There's that edge of potential energy,”; Tully says.

May Izumi's “;Once the Tale is Over”; rounds out the exhibits.

The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, 999 Bishop St., is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and until 6 p.m. Fridays. Call 526-0232 or visit tcmhi.org.