Nirai Kanai: kozyndan, Opening Reception FREE January 20, 2007

Free

Nirai Kanai
January 20, 2007–February 17, 2007

For their second solo exhibition at sixspace, kozyndan (Kozue and Dan Kitchens) present new gouache and ink on paper works in Nirai Kanai…

Since the late 1990s, kozyndan's work has mirrored their "unease with and love of the modern world" and in Nirai Kanai they utilize ama, diving woman of Japan, as a vehicle to deal with the disconnected climate of our contemporary culture. "Nirai Kanai" is a remote world far out in the seas where gods exist that is the origin of all riches: wealth, fertility and life. Kozyndan keep this idealistic place in mind with their nostalgic and romanticized look to the ama culture, one very much in tune with the natural world and community - a way of life that has since passed.

The artists state, "The world we live in today strikes us as being one of disconnect - disconnected from the natural environment, from nature, and also from one another. In our apartments, in our cars, in our cubicles, we are out of sync with the push and pull of nature's cycle and can pass days without meaningful human contact. This kind of isolation is what made the ama stand out to us so vividly."

Nirai Kanai points the lives of these women and perceptions of beauty. Kozyndan's usage of ama points to an ideal of beauty that is in striking contrast the fetish of frail, thin women in fashion today. Working semi-nude (topless) in a culture where nudity is normal and not sexualized, their bodies are strong and stout, meaty and weatherworn…perfect. Additionally, these women, due to their ability to dive deeper/longer in cold ocean water than men, are the breadwinners of their family. Female children are also prized (an opposing opinion in other parts of Asia where woman are discarded). The ama lifestyle is one where Woman is the master of her own fate.

Los Angeles artist duo Kozyndan (Kozue and Dan Kitchens) each received their BFA from California State, Fullerton in 2002. Their work is currently included in Spank the Monkey at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, UK; the Baltic produced a 20-minute documentary on kozyndan in conjunction with this exhibition. They will also be featured in Generations USA at the Pinchuk Art Centre in the Ukraine this through March. Other recent exhibitions have been held in New York, Los Angeles, Japan, and Australia. Publications featuring reviews of their work include The London Observer, Vogue Japan, RES Magazine, and Giant Robot.

In the gallery's Annex, sixspace presents the The Books and Records Show by Los Angeles-based Sarah Cromarty...

Official Website: http://www.sixspace.com/gallery/kozyndan2007/pressrelease.php