Giant Textile Birds by Wakako Kawakami
Japanese artist Wakako Kawakami evokes the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock with a playful twist in these installations of giant textile birds. Unlike the iconic film, Wakako’s work is tempered by her choice of bird - in this case the innocuous parakeet or “budgie” as they are affectionately called. Given the available palette to the species, bright colors and pastels take the edge off as the birds appear more as festive decoration than a cinematic threat.
Wakako elaborates on what drove her to this medium while discussing her first park installation in her interview with Klassik Magazine:
“I went to a park run by Tokyo - to to examine the site before I accepted an offer to exhibit my art works there, I was surprised to see that there were so many animals in the park. So I asked the park officer about the animals, then he answered that they’d been abandoned by their owner but some kind people kept feeding them and the animals survived fine in the park.
At that time I remembered my childhood memory that my friend’s parakeet didn’t come back after he ran away home. I have a special feeling for parakeets because I kept one for a long time by myself. What inspired me was my hope that all the parakeets worldwide who fled or were thrown away had kept living fine with their friends and family somewhere.”
All images courtesy of Wakako Kawakami. View more at her home page or visit her on Kawakami .How FinePrintArt.com Maintains Its Ad-Free Creative Platform
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