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There's a lot of talk these days about smaller meal portion sizes being better for you. Well, the same can be said for art.
The Eighth International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition, where sculpture can be no bigger than a shoebox, runs at the University of Hawai'i Art Gallery until April 17.
The first shoebox exhibition here was in 1982. Since then, UH has held a new exhibit every three years. Art Gallery Director Tom Klobe explained that it takes about three years for the exhibit to go through the entire circuit, and that by the time it returns to UH, they are already packing up the next pieces to be shipped out. "It's the most efficient way of doing it," he said, "it works really well."
Inside the gallery, 145 pieces of art by 145 different artists are displayed. Klobe said that UH professors Fred Roster and Mamoru Sato developed the shoebox theme because they liked to see sculpture, but it was often too expensive to ship larger pieces to Hawai'i from the mainland. Klobe added, "It's been so successful ever since."
The Shoebox Exhibition is a traveling show, with UH as its first stop, and is seen at galleries on the mainland and internationally. Currently, Klobe is discussing taking it to Japan. Klobe "felt that it would be a good opportunity to expand it [the exhibit] beyond us ... (and) make it available to other museums." This would also decrease the cost of organizing the exhibition by dividing it between UH and the other places which will show the Shoebox Exhibition.
Most of the artists who have contributed to the exhibit were invited to sculpt a piece. The people who chose the pieces were familiar with the artists' work; they review it and then ask the artist to create a piece. Klobe said that he finds artists just by searching, adding that he had seen the work of some of the Japanese artists while in Holland, took note of them, and later contacted them about the Shoebox Exhibition. Klobe added that the exhibition is "very, very popular," and that there are a lot of people who will write to UH inquiring as to how they can be in an exhibit.
Inside the exhibit, it is impossible to get the full effect of every piece the first time through. Some sculptures must be looked at from various angles, and the organization and setup for the exhibition allows a viewer to do so. The back walls are dark, which contrasts with the white of the tables and pillars on which the pieces sit. This adds to the emphasis on all of the pieces while still allowing the viewer to focus on just one at a time.
Everywhere you turn, you find another piece that you missed before. Looking at one of these sculptures once is never enough, because the next time you look at it, you notice something new.
Most pieces have a card with an artist's statement beside it, and as one artist states, the cards are helpful and give insight, but still leave some of the interpretation to the viewer.
The pieces all must adhere to the size restriction (must fit inside a shoebox), but other than that, anything goes. There are pieces which are political in nature, such as "Substance Abuse," by Veralee Bassler, or "Mouse Trap," by Fred Roster -- one of the originator's of the shoe-box motif.
Some are philosophical like Jacqueline Lea's "Short Stories." Jerry L. Brown's piece, "Bamboo Man: Retrieving a Ball from the Swamp," and others, are simply whimsical. Some pieces combine themes. "Swallowed My Tooth," by Esther Shimazu, has a whimsical air to it, while still carrying the artist's cultural views.
Some of the pieces are deceptively simple. Martin Emanuel's piece, "A Roof Over My Head," initially just looks like an orange box, but deeper inspection shows details of the sculpture itself, the mixture of yellows and oranges, and the texture of it as well as details of its possible meanings. He states that it is about building forts by draping blankets over tables, and suddenly the orange box is transformed. It becomes more than it seemed, especially if the viewer can relate to it by remembering those days when they also built forts with blankets, tables, and chairs.
The 145 artists contributing to this exhibit are not found in Hawai'i alone. While some artists are from Kailua and other parts of the state, many more artists come from New York, California, Georgia, Korea, Brazil, Chile, the Netherlands, and many more places.
This is not an exhibit to rush through, glancing at the pieces and then moving on. This is an exhibit which pleads to be wandered through, viewed with leisure and intense gazes. Yet, at the same time, a student or faculty member with a few minutes to spare, can come inside, although at these times it is best to look at just a few pieces that catch you as you enter. Trust me, with so many pieces to chose from, it is nearly impossible to not find something that you enjoy.
'Short Stories': By Jacqueline Lee
'Swallowed My Tooth': By Ester Shimazu
'Figura Dos': By Victor Ruiz Santiago
'Vector Oculus': By Terrence Larin
'A Roof Over My Head': By Martin Emanuel
'A Little Pot Smoking': By Bret Price
'Rest': By Mika Negishi Laudlaw
'Portable Shrine': By Grazyna Gradkowska
