Cones of Vision Group exhibition curated by Mari Inukai
Cones of Vision
Curated by Mari Inukai
GR2 Gallery, Sawtelle Japantown
March 30 - April 17, 2019
Opening reception March 30, 6:30 - 10pm
Giant Robot’s GR2 Gallery to host Cones of Vision, a group show of six friends from CalArts, curated by alum painter and animator, Mari Inukai. Walt Disney, who trained his first animators at what would later become CalArts said, “If you keep busy, your work might lead you into paths you might not expect... What young artists need is a school where they can learn a variety of skills, a place where there is cross-pollination.”
Almost fifteen years later, this exhibit reunites talents of fine art, animation, writing, and design. Artists include Bruce Richards, Elizabeth Ito, Rami Kim, Pendleton Ward, Christopher Wood, and Mari Inukai. The title of the show is a throwback to Bruce’s course title at CalArts, that Mari attended, teaching perspective is what the viewer sees without distortion from the artist’s point of view.
Bruce, joining us from NY, was a professor of Perspective, Composition, and Color Theory 1996-2002, participated in museum shows from MoMA to Sezon, and collected by numerous museums across California. Elizabeth, a LA local, helps make movies and TV shows for companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, just to name a few. Rami, maker of sculptures and functional ceramics influenced by her background in animation, works in her own studio in Glendale. Pendleton (aka Pen), created animated series from Bueno the Bear to Adventure Time, writes, storyboards, executive produces, and story consults. Christopher Wood is an instructor at CalArts, teaching Life Drawing, Illustration, Character Design and Zbrush.
Mari draws, paints, animates, creates products, and designs clothes. She has shown art at various galleries including GR2 for many years and curated Momo there in 2018 exhibiting works of Audrey Kawasaki, Amy Sol, Stella Im Hultberg, and herself.
GR2 Gallery, located at 2062 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025, features art exhibitions by notable artists like Katsuya Terada, Luke Chueh, David Choe, Mari Inukai, Deth P Sun, Rob Sato, Ako Castuera, Sean Chao, Yoskay Yamamoto, Uglydoll, and countless others, was founded and operates by Eric Nakamura of Giant Robot Magazine, published 1994-2011.
Mari Inukai was born in Nagoya, Japan.
In 1995, Mari came to the United States to pursue her studies in art. She first attended Santa Monica Community College (Mentor program), Santa Monica, California, then Associates in Art, Sherman Oaks, California, and lastly, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, where she received her BFA in Character Animation in 2004. Her short animated film, Blue and Orange, has been an official selection at numerous national and international film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival 2003, and was the Japan Grand Prize winner at the Short Shorts Film Festival EXPO 2005. Her professional works include Duckstudios, Santa Monica, Walt Disney CP, Glendale, Sanrio,,co. LTD, Japan, Cartoon Network, Burbank, Nickelodeon, New York, Nylon Motion Inc., Los Angeles, Oishii Productions, Los Angeles and NGTV, Los Angeles. Along with her animation works, Mari regularly exhibits her paintings and drawings, as well as designs clothes, toy figures, and other fun products.
In 1995, Mari came to the United States to pursue her studies in art. She first attended Santa Monica Community College (Mentor program), Santa Monica, California, then Associates in Art, Sherman Oaks, California, and lastly, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, where she received her BFA in Character Animation in 2004. Her short animated film, Blue and Orange, has been an official selection at numerous national and international film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival 2003, and was the Japan Grand Prize winner at the Short Shorts Film Festival EXPO 2005. Her professional works include Duckstudios, Santa Monica, Walt Disney CP, Glendale, Sanrio,,co. LTD, Japan, Cartoon Network, Burbank, Nickelodeon, New York, Nylon Motion Inc., Los Angeles, Oishii Productions, Los Angeles and NGTV, Los Angeles. Along with her animation works, Mari regularly exhibits her paintings and drawings, as well as designs clothes, toy figures, and other fun products.
Rami Kim, (also a.k.a Ramis Kim) is a Los Angeles based artist, maker and an award winning animator whose practice is focused mainly on sculptural and functional ceramic objects. With her background in animation, her work is whimsical and poetic. Her inspiration comes from organic shapes, nature, feelings, and people. She currently works out of her studio in Glendale, CA.
Elizabeth Ito is a storyboard artist and writer whose main work has been with the shows Phineas and Ferband Adventure Time. She has also storyboarded such titles as Astro Boy and Everyone's Hero. After serving as a storyboard artist on Adventure Time for the first season, she left to work at Sony Pictures Animation. She later returned to the series near the middle of season five, and currently serves as one of the series' supervising directors.
Pendleton Ward (born September 23, 1982)[1] is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor who works for Cartoon Network Studios and Frederator Studios. He created the Emmy Award-winning series Adventure Time (2010–2018)[2] and the Internet series Bravest Warriors (2012–).[3] Ward is a graduate of the CalArts Animation Program.[4] He grew up in San Antonio, Texas and currently resides in Los Angeles.