Light Work’s ‘View from Here’ to feature work by Japanese photographer Kanako Sasaki

Light Work’s ‘View from Here’ to feature work by Japanese photographer Kanako SasakiAugust 16, 2005Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

The Light Work gallery, located at 316 Waverly Ave., will feature the work of Japanese photographer Kanako Sasaki in the exhibition “View from Here,” Aug. 22-Oct. 22. A reception will be held Sept. 29, at 6 p.m., in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

In this exhibition, Sasaki expresses an eccentric and surreal mood to create a dream-like world. She draws inspiration from traditional Japanese novels and love stories, Ukiyo-e paintings and her own childhood memories. Sasaki’s imaginative work creates a world where, as she describes, “ordinary life becomes more extraordinarily focused.” Her images capture their own pieces of Ukiyo, the concept of a floating world, where nothing in life is too small to be worth notice and a trivial gesture can epitomize the experience of a lifetime.

Sasaki is currently dividing her time between living in Tokyo and New York City. Living part of the time in the United States, Sasaki has felt the urge to associate herself and her work with her own Japanese culture in order to identify herself in this society. The result is an exhibition of chromogenic and digital prints, which mix girlhood with vivacity, humor and spunk.

Sasaki attended Ithaca College and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her work was recently seen at Hitotsubo-ten Gallery, Morta Politica Gallery and Art Cocoon Gallery in Tokyo, and at the Visual Arts Gallery in New York City. Sasaki participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in 2005. Herphotography can also be seen at http://www.kanakosasaki.com.In addition to being a photographer, Sasaki recently launched her own clothing line featured online at http://www.wanderlustful.com.

Gallery hours for “View from Here” are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and by appointment. There are a limited number of free parking spaces available at the gallery, please RSVP to reserve. Light Work is a non-profit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (315) 443-1300.