| On View: | January 14–April 2, 2017 |
Warmer ocean temperatures prompted bleaching events of the world’s coral reef habitats, turning healthy colorful coral into weakened ghostly white coral, susceptible to disease and death. These changes are visual warnings of thermal stress caused by global climate change and are often referred to as a sort of “canary in the coal mine.” Climate change is a global ecosystem catastrophe, not a political issue. Takayama-Ogawa’s exhibition Climate Change includes abstract figurative white coral reef sculptures and white lighting installations, calling for the reversal of global warming.
Joan Takayama-Ogawa’s family has been involved with ceramics since the 15th century. She pays tribute to her Japanese and family heritage by utilizing their ancient ceramic forms as a guide. She then contemporizes them by applying imagery from her American life. Takayama-Ogawa studied ceramics with Ralph Bacerra at Otis College of Art and Design, where she currently teaches. She holds a Bachelor of Art degree from UCLA in Geography and East Asian Studies and a Master of Art from Stanford Graduate School of Education. Her work is a part of many public collections, including the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Ceramic Art.
Click here for images from Climate Change on the artist’s website.