Drawings - Trees And Water

February 27, 2009 - May 15, 2009

OPENING: Friday, February 27, 2009, 3-6pm, Tomoyo Ihaya in Attendance

Art Beatus (Vancouver) Consultancy Ltd. is pleased to present “DRAWINGS – TREES and WATER” featuring mixed media works by Tomoyo Ihaya.  The exhibition will open with an afternoon reception open to the public on Friday, February 27 from 3pm to 6pm, and the artist will be in attendance.  Trees and water are recurring subjects in Ihaya’s artworks.  In her eyes, they are symbols of growth and life, essential to human and other creatures’ existence.  Profoundly influenced by her recent travels and life in India, Ihaya’s new series of works are extremely relevant in today’s eco-conscious world, but more specifically pertain to the artist’s personal journey.  The underlying environmental theme echoes insights on the effect of western influence over Indian culture while the importance of living well with insight and an open mind reminds one not to take the basic fundamentals of life for granted.

Born in Mie, Japan, Ihaya received a BA in German Literature at Rikkyo University and received a certificate in Curatorial Training.  She came to Canada in 1994 and studied at several educational institutions.  In 2002, she received a MFA from the Studio Art Program at the University of Alberta.  Ihaya traveled and lived in India six times between 2005 and 2008.  “It almost feels as if some kind of strong drive had forced me to go.  It is very difficult to explain, but all I can say is these visits were necessary with a meaning.  I can still recall the strong feeling that I had never experienced before, had arisen upon the first arrival in India.  It was as if every feeling, emotion and cell had been shaken upside down, finally expanding in the heart”. 

Wandering around the old markets in the cities and looking at endless landscapes from the train windows, pumping water and carrying it home under the starry sky or driving through extremely remote places in the Himalayas, Ihaya witnessed life in India; its vastness, the lives of people, bareness of life on the streets and influence from ‘our side’ in their natural and human environment.  Plastic bottles and other western products could be found everywhere, yet the artist sensed that the strong spirit of the culture would never be spoiled by the overflowing materialism.  “Wherever I went, there were trees and water beside people’s lives.  They stand and flow strongly no matter what changes will happen in human world.”  Ihaya believes there is no other place like India.  It has touched her life and greatly influenced her art works. 

Always a frequent traveler, the last several months have proven a rare event in which the artist has remained in Vancouver without moving back and forth like a pendulum.  The act of being still has provided her with the ability to reflect on her experiences, to bring together visual contemplation, thoughts and feelings from her travels, giving her more perspective and clarity as to why India holds such an important place in her heart.  “DRAWINGS – TREES and WATER” begins Friday, February 27, 2009 and runs through to Friday, May 15, 2009.