Collaboration and interpretation have long been touchstones of the artistic process, means by which a specific vision is refracted to reveal some surprising new facet. In this vein, Dinnerware ArtSpace is currently showing 'Five by Five,' an exhibition inspired in concept and eye-opening in execution.
On May 21, a good-sized crowd filled Dinnerware's new home inside the Citizen's Warehouse at 44 W. Sixth St. for the show's opening , and they were greeted by a pastiche of material along the walls, complimented by wine and hors d'oeuvres.
While the art is interesting in and of itself, it is the process, rather than the product, of interpretation that's the star of this show: five Japanese artists exchanged five personal items with five Tucson artists, and these were in turn altered and interpreted by the two groups of five, creating ten new works and one very cool experience.
The Tucson contingent of the exchange is Ruth Hillman, Gary Mackender, Heather Wodrich, Anthony Rosano and Roberta Gentry, and the exhibition of their artistic interpretation is being held simultaneously with an exhibition at the Enoma Galley in Sendai, Japan, where the Japanese half of the exchange is showing. Each of the Old Pueblo Five translated the sent items using their own personal mediums, ranging from poetry and drawing to video and mixed-media; especially compelling were the Cookie Monster Monster (a six-foot reimagining of the eponymous fuzzy blue gourmand by Anthony Rosano) and Roberta Gentry's evocative graphite drawings of a sleeping child.
"Satoko Cho (formerly of Tucson, and now working in Sendai) approached me with the idea of an artistic exchange," said David Aguirre, curator of the Dinnerware gallery. "I loved the idea, and chose these five artists to participate in the exchange. I think it's a great exhibition of how different cultures view the world, and how we view art and each other."
'Five by Five' will be at Dinnerware until June 5. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5pm. The Japanese exhibition is at Enoma Gallery, Sendai, Japan and runs for the same period. If you can't make the Japan show, head over to Dinnerware and check this one out!
