Rain

Ulterior Gallery is pleased to present Rain by ± a collaborative project by the artist duo Eric Heist and Kazumi Tanaka. This exhibition debuts their vision, developed out of their studios in upstate New York, where they share a space for creative discourse. The opening reception will take place on Friday, June 6, from 6 to 8 pm.

My recent work incorporates the skulls of land animals and sea creatures’ shells into sound-producing sculptures– a visceral, sensory connection to the natural world. By placing my worktable with Eric’s maze painting, the room transforms into a psychological space connecting the outer world with the created sound space.

When I look at a line of pine trees in front of a bank of fog, I can see a clear order, but when the fog lifts the clarity disappears. Returning to moments of that clarity through names, numbers, and colors recall the ephemeral nature of our connection to the unseen.

Over the hills, we can go into the cool shady pine forest where we find animal bones here and there. There is evidence of a natural cycle in the aftermath of coyote feasting on deer or other small animals. At night, we hear their howls echoing through the trees. The existence of deer upstate is serene as the fog, their gentle figures emerging suddenly. Sometimes they pause to gaze at us, assessing whether we are a threat, their eyes seeing through to our bones.

When I was in grade school, I made mazes to pass to other students– an intimacy made possible through games. The maze I made in relation to the natural objects on the table represents the connection between us and the natural world.