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nao
tomii
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march
1 - 31
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(back
gallery) . karen kimmel
Kbond
opening reception: saturday, 10, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Twenty-three
year old Boston sculptor Nao Tomii is a product of our times. His sculpture
conflates everything from comic books, cartoons, and generation-Y cyber
aesthetics to cross cultural issues, the body, genetic engineering and
human genome mapping. A Japanese immigrant and recent Montserrat College
of Art graduate, this is Nao Tomii's first solo exhibition.
squeeze (detail), 2000
wood, spray paint, nylon strap; 36" x 18" x 6"
Working almost
exclusively from Home Depot materials such as wood, spray paint, plastic
tubing, PVC pipes and cable ties,Tomii is completely at ease with the
aesthetic of a generation raised on a visual diet of graphic design, animation
and the flattened world of computer generated color and form. Ironically,
his process is a mix of the traditional (hand carved and sanded wood)
literally fused to the contemporary (mass produced plastics and off-the-shelf
hardware store items)
new hot plants (three of five)
2001
wood, spray paint, cable ties,
appx. 28" x 5" x 5" each
His undulating
humanoid forms see the body as though sifted through the cultural maze
of our real/unreal 21st century world. The twisting, curling tubes, pipes
and plastic balls push us deeper into the bio-medical morass of daily
life where we watch (?complacently/helplessly?) as technology unravels
the essential nature of our beings.
plojection (detail)
2001
wood, spray paint,
plastic tubing, balls
68" x 16" x 13"
But before one
gets wrapped up in all that angst about the current state of affairs,
one realizes that s/he is smiling at the beautiful colors, shapes and
cartoon-like simplicity/comlexity of the work. A point which may in fact
be the final comment on where we stand in the scheme of things. Tomii
has succeeded in documenting our obsession with a sexy profile, a cartoon
reflection of life, leaving out the cute jingle that goes with it.
feeling fit (one of seven)
2000
wood, spray paint
24" x 4" x 3"
