In her new exhibition, Mayflies & Stars, Kyoko Imazu offers a glimpse into the magical hidden worlds of some of our smallest neighbours.
Kyoko Imazu is a Japanese artist based in Melbourne whose practice encompasses a range of mediums including printmaking, papercut, shadow puppetry and bookbinding.
Leading visitors into the exhibition will be a whimsical display of Kyoko’s magical characters along the Realm windows, while display cabinets on both the ground and level one floors of Realm will be brought to life by Kyoko’s artist books and creative puppet displays.
The artist’s books and cut-paper installations are filled with both real animals and legendary creatures from Japanese folklore, adding a layer of fantasy to her otherwise realistic renderings.
The exhibition runs at ArtSpace at Realm from Friday 17 April – Sunday 27 June 2021. For more information, click here.
“I used to look for (and collected) small insects and pebbles when I was a kid and imagine a completely different world or universe that these creatures and things live in. In my art practice and, in particular this project, I guess I’m trying to capture that world.
When you look closely, it’s incredible to realise how everything is so different – every petal, leaf and wing is miraculously unique. These beings and objects all have their own stories within themselves, containing many states of life, death and regeneration.” – Kyoko Imazu, 2021
KYOKO IMAZU, PAPERCUTS
A selection of Kyoko’s papercuts, artists’ books and prints are available to view online, click here for more.
Image above: Kyoko Imazu Danse macabre 2020 papercut 62 x 78 cm
Image above: Kyoko Imazu Dandelion and beetle 2020 papercut 79 x 64 cm