Hanae Kawai thesis exhibition: 'Kuzu'

Hanae Kawai’s thesis exhibition Kuzu is informed by the artist’s practice of collecting, a habit that began in Kawai’s early childhood. Originally driven by the desire to save and amass material possessions, Kawai’s collecting has since evolved into a process through which she delineates and forms her identity. By accumulating stickers, dolls, magazines, photographs, and digital images, as well as recorded videos and sounds of daily life, Kawai learns about what she is drawn to, why she is interested in it, and how she relates to a particular thing and the ideas that it represents.

The title of the exhibition, Kuzu, is a Japanese term that translates to trash, waste, or garbage. In her recent practice, Kawai specifically focuses on collecting items that have been discarded and are no longer cared for by their previous owners or users. These objects and materials might be considered meaningless, but the artist sees value in them and instead preserves and showcases them. For Kawai, the word kuzu holds both concepts of worth and worthlessness. Her works toy with this kind of subjective duality — true and false, real and fake, right and wrong, being and non-being — as part of a larger investigation into understanding the ambiguity of identity.

Opening reception: May 6, 2022, 6–8 p.m.

Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.