Kumi Yamashita’s new exhibition at the Flinn Gallery curated by Leslee Asch features some great photographs, but hers is not a traditional or simplistic interpretation of human subjects. There are some interesting features that grab our attention. However, Yamashita is here to show us the big picture, how to connect the face to the collection, the parts to it all. To do this, the artist uses unusual materials in his work, casting light to create shadowy forms with found objects or connecting a single wire and hundreds of poles to create a face matrix. In a way, his art is about the final preparations that we see as the tools that make them.
0-9one work shown in the artist’s series “Light & Shadow,” is made with a spread of spartan white wooden numbers, creating a sense of pictorial relief. With apparent randomness, a machine engraved with 8s, 3s, 1s, 2s and so on fills the wall in disarray. They look like a handful of dice rolled by a gambler, exploding from right to left. Following that path is a burst of light from one source, which illuminates the lucky 7, then travels to all the other numbers until, suddenly, the distinct profile of a little boy appears in a thick mass of shadows. The texture of his hair suggests that he is, perhaps, Black. Her long eyelashes and closed eyes give her a sense of calmness and peace. It makes me think of the silhouette portraits that are often assigned to create in art classes in elementary school. Perhaps numbers guide the entry into learning a child might take, using basic knowledge of letters and numbers to build ideas—from mathematical equations to personal knowledge—in his head. It is interesting that the numbers of the jumbled block are able to assemble into a human representation, but only under the influence of light, that irresistible and immeasurable force-both wave and particle-that interacts with the form, producing a different value between the immeasurable. and material things.
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Another work that stands out in this exhibition is Wiresan iconic portrait of an Asian girl who holds the viewer directly with a calm eye contact. This piece is a stunning work of pointillism, made of the titular thread, running tightly from one tin nail to another across the girl’s face. The overlapping of each colored strand creates a grid of dull skin tones and dark hair colors. The little girl’s features seem to gradually emerge from the heights of the cables, which float above her face and cross like a map of a telecommunications network or a constellation of stars from a galaxy not so far away. Although it is not clearly visible from a few yards back, as I approach the piece, I see what are the first few places along the perimeter of the frame and the straight lines of rope from each one leading to the face. Although it is easy to look at and reflect on the angelic beauty of the little girl, these clues make me aware of the construction of the work, the great effort of its maker and its connection with the progress of other works in the room.
Further down the gallery, I see Yamashita’s work from 2013, this one made of earthy black workday denim. Unlike the slow, complex construction of the thread needed to create Wires, Warp and Weft (Mama No. 2)this is a work where the strings are systematically removed to create a portrait of the artist’s mother. Yamashita explains his process: “Sometimes, there’s something good about the breakdown of things. Undoing one thing at the same time you create another. Here, I took the cloth and pulled out bits and pieces of light colored thread to make a picture.” The almost pixelated effect of the remaining threads brings what appears to be a naive silver image of a young mother in our current world of invisible digital displays – but somehow tempered by the heavy fabric of a casual dress. Warp and Weft (Mama No. 2) it seems to be as much about inevitable entropy, as it is about people rising from the ashes of time and greatly influencing our lives.
A pleasant and short trip on the Metro-North Railroad to the small but mighty Flinn Gallery in charming Greenwich is always a welcome relief from the mental bustle of New York City living. This unassuming exhibition space in the middle of a well-reviewed city library has hosted many world-class contemporary art exhibitions over the past few years, and “The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita” is no exception. I recommend making your day. Catch this unique photo exhibition, eat lunch, sit for a long look at the changing leaves and let your soul warm as the weather cools.
“The Elusive Art of Kumi Yamashita” is on view November 6 at the Finn Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut.
