Previewing
The Flinn Gallery’s 2024-25 season kicks off on September 19 with the solo exhibition The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita, curated by Leslee Asch. Situated on the second floor of the Greenwich Library, the Flinn Gallery is known for its commitment to high-quality contemporary art, offering a space for both emerging and established artists. The Flinn Gallery’s 2024-25 season opens on September 19 with the solo show The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita, curated by Leslee Asch.
Kumi Yamashita, a Japanese-born artist, creates ‘analog’ magic in a digital age. Her work is entirely manual, with no use of computer software. She meticulously arranges everyday materials, illuminating them with a single light source until they cast the perfect silhouette. This labor-intensive process results in shadow art that is at once simple and complex, challenging viewers’ perceptions. “I sculpt using both light and shadow. The complete artwork is therefore comprised of both the material (the solid objects) and the immaterial (the light or shadow),” Yamashita explains.
The exhibition includes Yamashita’s Light & Shadow series, where her intricate techniques are on full display. Also featured are her elaborate portraits, created using unconventional materials and methods. In some pieces, she winds a single, unbroken thread around thousands of small, galvanized nails. In others, she systematically removes threads from denim to reveal striking images.
Yamashita’s work often explores themes of transformation, with an emphasis on the beauty found in things falling apart and being reassembled. As she puts it, “sometimes there is something beautiful about things falling apart.”
The Flinn Gallery, operated by the Friends of the Greenwich Library, is a volunteer-run, non-profit space dedicated to engaging the local community through contemporary art exhibitions, artist talks, receptions, and educational programs.
About the artist: Kumi Yamashita’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her solo shows include the Seattle Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Esplanade – Theaters on the Bay in Singapore, as well as museums in Taiwan, China, and Japan. She has been in numerous museum group shows, including the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and San Francisco’s Exploratorium. Kumi Yamashita lives and works in Woodstock, NY. She was born in Takasaki, Japan, and received her MFA from Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, and her BFA from Cornish College of Arts in Seattle, WA. Yamashita’s work can be found in impressive public collections such as Microsoft, American Express, Le Meridien, Shenyang, China; Tokyo’s Akira Medical Center; and permanent collections at numerous museums.
The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita will be on view at Flinn Gallery through November 6, 2024. on the second floor of the Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT.
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 19, from 6-8 pm
Friends Friday Film: Friday, Oct 4, Perfect Days at 7 pm
Visit the Pre-Show Art Lounge in the Gallery 5-6:45 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, October 26 at 2 pm