Powell Street Festival and Blim present:
URA MONCHAN by Kaori Kasai
March 4-27, 2010
Opening reception: March 4th, 8pm
Artist talk: March 4th, 8:30pm
FLIM NIGHT: Films curated by artist Kaori Kasai, Friday, March 26, 8:00-11:00pm
Blim, 197 17th Ave. E, Vancouver
More information: 604 683 8240 or www.powellstreetfestival.com
Powell Street Festival Society and Blim present the exhibition Kaori Kasai: Ura Monchan. Using androgynous characters, Kasai creates storyboards of short vignettes about kinship, alienation, emotional boundaries and our interactions with physical environments. During her artistic residency/exhibition, Kasai will present new paintings and print-based works, curate a Flim night (film event) on March 26th, and produce a limited edition screen printed shirt available at Blim.
Kasai’s new works in Ura Monchan include paintings and prints of a character named Monchan. Monchan is a complicated character whose name is derived from a combination of the Japanese colloquial term for monster, or “Mon,” and “chan,” the suffix used at the end of a name to denote endearment. Monchan reflects the artist’s struggles of acceptance and sense of self as a landed immigrant in Canada. This delightful character was conceived during a period of difficulty in Kasai’s life and became a source of comfort when the artist felt lonely or isolated. On the surface Monchan is the epitome of calmness, but on the inside, Monchan faces emotional turmoil. Unlike the eponymous character epitomized in Kasai’s forthcoming children’s book, Monchan's Bag, Monchan is not perpetually cute, cuddly and happy. Entitled Ura Monchan, or “reverse side of” Monchan, this exhibition reveals the behind-the-scenes version of Kasai’s child-friendly Monchan. Ura Monchan depicts a complex, non-gender specific, and self-questioning character who represents Kasai’s struggles with self-expression in an often-alienating culture.
Kasai's 2010 children’s book, Monchan's Bag, is published by Simply Read Books. Her works have been exhibited at Giant Robot, Little Otsu and SOMARTS (San Francisco), Compound Gallery (Portland), gallery 1 (Japan), and the Powell Street Festival (Vancouver) at Helen Pitt Gallery. Visit www.powellstreetfestival.com for more information on all events.
On opening night, Thursday, March 4, Kasai will give an artist talk at 8:30 pm. Kasai will also curate FLIM night on Friday, March 26. Come watch Kasai’s selection of films, and view new works produced during her residency at BLIM; entry fee: sliding scale of $7 - $10. Blimited: Limited Edition Screenprinted shirt by Kaori Kasai available at Blim for month of March. Images available upon
This is the launching event for the Powell Street Festival’s 2010 season of events. More information at www.powellstreetfestival.com. Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/powellstfest Blim: www.blim.ca
The Powell Street Festival Society gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, Department of Canadian Heritage, and City of Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs.
