Using a color palette that can range from vivid and nature to strange and artificial, artist Kanani Miyamoto will cover the Installation Space with images of tropical Hawaiian flora that she paints and block prints onto the walls. But what appears familiar and known at first glance can transition into something more uncertain upon closer inspection…something compromised. According to the State of Hawai`i 6,414,197 tourists visited the islands this last year. Hawai`i is a valuable commodity. Unfortunately, the tourist industry has negatively impacted traditional Hawaiian culture and the environment. While many generations of Hawaiians have depended on tourism for economic stability, are they working seven days a week, eight hours a day selling a false Hawai`i?
Each year the Installation Space series reserves several exhibition opportunities for art students at the university level. The format and presentation requirements for these installations are identical to those for established professional artists, RACC created this separate eligibility category to help introduce emerging talents. Kanani Miyamoto has just completed her MFA in Print Media at Pacific Northwest College of Art.
The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space, including images, proposals, and statements for all projects dating back to 1994, go to http://racc.org/installationspace.
Kanani Miyamoto’s installation at the Portland Building draws on her mastery of print media presented in large scale, as seen in here in Shrine Base from 2015.