Archived Exhibition
Grace Munakata
March 13 - April 12, 2008
RECEPTION: Saturday, March 15, 2008, 3-5pm
Artist Biography
Grace Munakata's new series of vibrant, multi-textured works on paper tells stories equally rooted in children's fairytales, personal history, and a celebration of color and form.
Spanning multiple adjacent panels, like giant collages, these works are inhabited by figurative and realistic sketches side-by-side with abstracted patterns of wallpaper and animal silhouettes. These shapes are full of motion and life, echoing each other and dancing across the wall.
Munakata has stated that the mixed cultural artifacts and traditions of her Japanese-American upbringing gave her free rein, from an early age, to experiment and play with signs and associations. It is her hope that viewers will "quilt their own connections and find their own narratives" from the images she creates.
Recognized as an abstract expressionist painter, Munakata's new work represents a conceptual departure from her earlier paintings.
Grace Munakata received her MFA from the University of California at Davis. She is a professor of art at California State University Hayward. Her work is in many private and corporate collections.
Please click on
an image for a larger version |
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| Ask the mole, he knows, 2006, approx. 33” x 50"
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Dolce, 2007, Mixed media on gatorboard, approx. 38.5” x 62.75” |
Girl’s Bloomers, 2006, Mixed media on ragboard, approx. 38” x 72 |
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| Ring of keys, 2006, Mixed media on ragboard, 40 3/4 x 50 5/8 |
The Singer, 2006, Mixed media on ragboard, approx. 39 3/8” x 64 1/2” |
Birds of Paradise, 2007
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on ragboard; 30 x 114" |
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Big Cats, 2008
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on ragboard; 24-1/4 x 35-1/2" |
Moshi moshi, 2008
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on gatorboard; 34 x 26-1/4", sold |
Petit Soins, 2006
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on ragboard; 35-1/2 x 49" |
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Rompers, 2008
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on ragboard; 13 x 17" |
They Walked All Night, 2008
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on gatorboard; 47 x 80-1/2" |
June Birds, 2006
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on gatorboard; 23-1/2 x 18-1/2" |
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Poppy Fields, 2008
Acrylic and mixed media on gatorboard
29 x 31-1/4" |
Storm in June, 2007
Acrylic, mixed media and collage on gatorboard; 41 x 110" |
Yakima, 2008
Acrylic and mixed media on ragboard
14-1/2 x 20-3/4", sold |
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