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Give the Gift of Art: Midori Harima's "Present"

"I want to examine how perception becomes reality by showing how images wrap structure and hide it."
--Midori Harima

Present by Midori Harima
Limited edition
Digital C-print

10 x 8 inches at $50
14 x 11 inches at $100
20 x 16 inches at $175

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Learn more about Midori in our short segment studio visit. 


Dear ArtWeLove Collectors,

It's Mariya today introducing this week's edition. Present was created exclusively for ArtWeLove by Midori Harima, a Japanese-born, New York-based installation artist.

As someone who worked with Midori while at Vanina Holasek Gallery, I'm always particularly proud to highlight the intellectual prowess of her art.

To me, Midori's art challenges the way I see and that's why I love it. Her installation, sculpture, and photography works force us to examine how we view the simplest of objects and the familiar in our everyday lives.

Much like the way a child first perceives and understands what they see, Midori's art allows us to re-explore what we take for granted, our most basic perceptions. A unique experience is created that is, in the beginning, emotional before it becomes intellectual, as if we're viewing something for the first time. This is the dual nature of her work: it is simultaneously complex and simple in its form.

A word about Midori's practice: She is deeply influenced by Fluxist heavyweight Joseph Beuys and primarily known for her hollow sculptures of animal and human figures, created with black-and-white Xerox copies. She begins her creative process by collecting images from different media sources such as books, magazines, and the Internet. The surfaces of the figures are built up in fragments that for Midori, correspond to the fragmentary way we experience reality.

Her work has caught the eye of many in the art world, including the renowned Buhl Collection as well as dealer turned L.A. MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch, who showed her work in a group show at Deitch Studios in 2009.

When speaking about Midori's art, I love to mention NEGATIVESCAPE, the beautifully illuminating carousel projection she installed at Honey Space in Fall 2008. That was the turning point for me in seeing the visual and emotional depth of her work and the new directions it was moving in. Because I was not involved in this project, I was able to experience her work for the first time as a viewer, like you.

Recently, Midori has integrated photography into her practice while still working with the same concepts inherent to her sculptures and installations. For Present, she began by constructing a sculpture of a present, then digitally photographing it to develop as a slide. The sculpture was then spray painted white so the image of the present could be projected onto its surface with a slide projector. Finally, a new digital photograph was taken of the projection. So, what you actually see in the end is not the present but its projected self. Brilliant! See for yourself by watching our studio visit video interview with Midori.

One of my favorite features of Present - and I know Laurence's too - is that the structure is hidden but its message is on full display: Congratulations.

I encourage you to see the familiar in a new light by exploring Midori Harima's edition Present available in 3 sizes starting at $50 on Shop.ArtWeLove.com.

Happy collecting!

Mariya Hoskins
ArtWeLove


GIVE THE GIFT OF ART
With graduation and wedding season upon us, and Father's Day just around the corner, Present is the perfect gifting opportunity for anyone who wishes to congratulate a special someone.


More Works that Make Perfect Gifts
FOunder by Quentin Curry

Limited edition. Archival pigment print.

This edition makes an unique gift for recent graduates or another beloved man in your life, Dad.

Father's Day, June 20, 2010.

11 x 11 inches
edition of 100 at $50

15 x 15 inches
edition of 200 at $125

19 x 19 inches
edition of 150 at $300

25 x 25 inches
edition of 75 at $675

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Travel Scrapbooks 1883/2008, 2 by Luisa Rabbia

 Limited edition. Archival pigment print.

This edition makes an inspiring gift for newlyweds, graduates, and every individual embarking on their next journey.

7.8 x 14 inches
edition of 150 at $50

COLLECT NOW