February 21 – March 28, 2015
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 21, 7-10PM
It is literally “International Women’s Year” at Bermudez Projects as owner and curator Julian Bermudez, is devoting his Downtown Los Angeles art space solely to up-and-coming female artists in 2015.
“For years, male artists have dominated the art scene. They’ve commanded much higher prices than their female counterparts, and are far more likely to be represented by galleries and public institutions,” Bermudez says. “A lot has changed, but much more needs to change. Our intention at Bermudez Projects this year is to highlight the artistic, conceptual, and technical prowess of female artists.”
The first show of the year is the provocatively titled “28 Day Cycle” from Japanese artist Atsumi Okano.
Okano, who earned her BFA from California State University, Long Beach, and currently lives and works in Japan, has produced 28 works for the sky-lit Bermudez Projects space just a block from Downtown LA’s Ace Hotel.
“This number was inspired by the menstrual cycle,” Okana says. “We are unsure about the relationship between women’s bodies and the moon’s cycle, but ‘28 Day Cycle’ celebrates it as a symbol of people living with nature.”
Okano’s artworks and color palette derive from her deep connection with nature and the inspiration it gives her.
“In my paintings,” she says, “the motifs of the horizon line, sun, moon, and ocean often appear, because we live in this cycle of time which the sun and moon create. The movements of the sun, moon, waves, and winds give me a sense of colors, sometimes as an after-image and sometimes as a momentary flash of light. Colors are space itself, and since I use colors as the primary material, the coherence of paints and canvas invites people to see paintings as space.”
All 28 oil on panel works in the exhibit are hexagonal in shape, which emphasizes their cosmological narrative. At just 4 x 4 inches in size, each one is a vignette of Okano’s vision.
“My artworks tell stories which do not have an order like dreams. Everything is transient and I like to draw from the feeling,” says Okano. “Dreams are mostly a reaction to the real world, so I am projecting what I see and think subconsciously. The visual of my artworks are often created by both my conscious and subconscious minds.”
Every two months, audiences can expect a new female artist to present fresh ideas and exceptional execution.
“We’re extremely excited about this year’s roster of all women artists,” says Bermudez. “Along with Atsumi Okano, we will feature the works of Erynn Richardson, Camilla Taylor, Amanda Beckmann, and, to cap it off, an all-woman group show.”
Atsumi Okano was born in Japan and briefly moved to the United States to study fine art. She has exhibited works both nationally and internationally. Recent group exhibitions include the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival (2014); SPACELAND II, Bermudez Projects (2014);REFLECTION 2013, Gallery Art Point, Tokyo (2013); Chubiten, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (2012); and INSIGHTS 2012, University Art Museum (2012). “28 Day Cycle” at Bermudez Projects is Okano’s first solo show in the United States.
