Amazing exhibit at Kala Art Gallery, Berkeley

"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi


Yesterday, I visited the 2008 Kala Fellowship Exhibition at Kala Art Institute and Gallery at 2990 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley. The gallery is located in a grand classical style building and the exhibit was truly amazing. Many of the works on display were very inspiring; however, I was mostly taken by two black glue installation pieces by Yasuaki Onishi.











"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi












"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi












"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi


According to the official website of Kala Art Gallery, "Kala Fellowships are awarded annually to eight innovative artists working in printmaking, photography, book arts, installation, video and digital media. Fellowship artists are selected from a competitive field of applicants from the United States, South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. Recipient artists receive a financial award and up to six-months residency at Kala’s studio facility followed by an exhibition of their new work. The Kala Gallery is proud to present the second of our two-part exhibition series, Residency Projects, featuring work by our 2008-2009 Fellowship artists. The artists were selected by the Kala Directors in association with juror René de Guzman, Senior Curator at the Oakland Museum.

"Residency Projects I presented new works created at Kala by Fellows Pawel Kruk, Samantha Lautman, Chris Turbuck and Lindsey White. Residency Projects II opens on August 27 with new works by Kala Fellows Nichole Maury, Yasuaki Onishi and Ali Richards."

The Communication Manager and Art Registrar Mayumi Hamanaka explained to me that those impressive installations were done with glue guns shooting hot glue on plastic sheets. The result was mystically intriguing, and meditatively inviting. The scale of those installations were impressively huge and one could only admire at the artist's ambition and the well coordinated planning and execution. Ms. Hamanaka graciously permitted me to take pictures to share with more people. Be enticed and amazed.

Yasuaki Onishi:

"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi

"Untitled, 2009" Yasuaki Onishi

I also liked a woodblock pieced "Blue Ghost Chair" by Sharon Heitzenroder:

The show will continue until October 3, so if you have time, do make a trip over there. The gallery hours are: Tues.-Fri. 12:00-5:30pm, Sat. 12:00-4:30pm.