LIHU’E — The Jan Ken Po & Mo interactive art show defies a tenet of the
world of art: That art can only be appreciated with the eyes.
At
yesterday’s official opening of the art exhibit at the old J.C. Penny’s Store
at Kukui Grove Shopping Center, people touched, smelled, jiggled, walked over
and created artwork.
The artwork, similar to abstract art, will allow for
deeper application of all forms of arm and will motivate artists of likemind to
make their own forms of interactive artwork that could be exhibited at other
shows, said Giampiero Genovese, who acted as a show sitter at the
exhibit.
“This is hands-on art that you smell, touch. It makes life
fuller,” Genovese said.
The interactive show, which featured 43 pieces of
art made only from metal, stone and paper, is the largest one of its kind ever
held on Kaua’i, said Genovese, an expert wildlife portrait artist and expert
with laserbeam comic drawings.
Unlike traditional art, which could involve
a drawing or picture that could provoke only a few interpretations, interactive
art could provoke a wider range of interpretations, Genovese said.
“In an
art gallery, people would come in, look at a painting and leave,” he said.
“Here, you take your time and touch the art.”
Some of the more unique
artwork:
l “A-Amaze Yourself,” a 30- by 20-foot maze made of white rolls
of adding-machine paper. The goal is to push a ball through the maze as quickly
as possible with an elongated spoon.
l Suspended from the ceiling, a swirl
of rectangular-shaped “leaves” made of lavender-colored papier mache that
were strung together with wooden twine.
Fans pushed the leaves back and
forth, creating an image of a large patch of “garden leaves” moving across the
sky.
Both displays were created by retired Kaua’i High School art teacher
Carol Yotsuda, who had the largest number of artwork on display. Eight of the
43 exhibits were hers.
l “Black Heads,” an artpiece by Kaua’i artist
Michelle Rundbakenm, which was comprised of separate breadloaf-size blocks
featuring parts of a woman’s eyes, nose, mouth, hand, hair, chin and chest. The
idea was to put the blocks together in a way that made sense to patrons of the
exhibit.
l An exhibit entitled “Dyeing the Gray” by Kaua’i artist Deb
Rosenbaum that allowed people to express their feelings about the aging process
as marked by the graying of the hair.
l An exhibit called the Rock Board
game, a multi-colored chess board made from Plexiglass, and chess pieces made
from stone and other earthen materials. It was created by Kaua’i artist Betty
Jean Nativio.
There were only a few people in the exhibition hall when the
exhibit opened Saturday morning.
Ashwin Pandit, a Kapa’a Elementary School
special education teacher, liked what he saw. “It is fun to come and to enjoy
it, he said. “You become part of the art when you touch it.”
The artwork
gave him good reason to pause and reflect on how art has evolved from
traditional art forms, he said.
The free exhibit opens daily from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and runs until Jan. 14, 2001. The event also boasted a silent auction
of desserts brought by community residents.
The art exhibit is supported
by the Garden Island Art Council and the Kukui Grove Shopping
Center.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext.
225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
