Professor Curates New Exhibit at Japanese Friendship Garden

On Friday, May 11 a new exhibit, “50 Artists – 50 Fish,” will open at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Richard Keely, associate professor of sculpture in the School of Art + Design, curated the exhibit and gathered over 50 artists from a variety of disciplines, including painters, metalworkers, whittlers, film makers and ceramicists, to take part.

These artists include undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members and a variety of artists from the community. Keely’s inspiration for the exhibit was generated from the space, which includes a nearby koi pond. The fish will be displayed on 2’ x 2’ tiles on the floor of the Inamori Pavilion in the Friendship Garden, which was designed by Kotaro Nakamura, director of the School of Art + Design.

The prompt “to build a fish,” is vague on purpose, as the exhibit is meant to embody “the unique qualities of the minds and hands of each individual artist.” Through this, viewers can explore the relationship between artist, technique, finished product and the surrounding pavilion and gardens.

“Part of the philosophy is attempting to break down the silos between design, craft and fine arts,” said Keely, who said these distinctions are often archaic. “This is a way for [the artists] to make something and to not have come up with an idea in the traditional sense.”

Arzu Ozkal is an associate professor of graphic design and will have a fish displayed in the exhibit. She designed a fabric, which was then made into a meditation cushion. It was inspired by a Rumi poem which says, “I am fish and you are the moon.”

Ozkal encourages the audience the sit on the cushion and contemplate their existence but adds, “fishing baits attached to the corners of the cushion are there to remind [viewers of] the pricks of life.”

The end goal of the installation is that as a whole, the fish will have as much diversity as possible and will “create a curious dynamic” between those viewing the fish and their surrounding environment.

For a list of all the artists, visit www.niwa.org/exhibits-list/50-50.

The exhibit opens Friday, May 11 at the Japanese Friendship Garden, 2215 Pan American Road East, San Diego CA 92101, and will run through Sunday, July 15.

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 12 at the Inamori Pavilion from 4:30-6:30 p.m. RSVPs are required and the event includes a $5 entrance fee. For all inquiries, contact Emiko Scudder at [email protected].

The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.