Nobuo Kubota: The Exploration of Possibility

March 13 to May 2, 1999

Artist's Statement

I make art to explore what is initially a vague notion about something I don't know about. Most of the time, I work intuitively and the essence of it lies in the process. When the process ends what remains is the showing of the work, which is not as important as the making of it. Once in a while a work appears in a flash, complete without process, but not often. I am often asked about the origins of my work. sometimes I can clearly remember how a work started or originated and sometimes I can't remember anything about its beginning because the work evolves and changes.

My greatest source of influence is the form and space of Japanese art and architecture. My work reflects the intercultural alliance of Japanese heritage and Western culture. This alliance is often tenuous and precarious when I attempt to integrate the disparate points of view.

My favorite work is the Shinto Shrine at Ise in Japan. The form is pure, explicit and timeless. It is torn down and newly reconstructed every 20 years. This has been going on for 1000 years.

Mute Raven, 1999
Wood, styrofoam, canvas, aluminum
20' x 10'

Mute Raven is the second work in a series entitled Homage to Birds, Beasts and Bugs. It began as a protest statement about the destruction of wildlife, but as the form of the work evolved, the image of the Raven took on another significance - that of silence. I felt that silence and the spatial ease it invokes is useful to maintain a sense of sanity in a world that has become dense with material excess. The Birds, Beasts and Bugs do not wait for a political solution.

While I was living in Kyoto, I visited many Buddhist temples and gardens. There was something there that was timeless and enduring and silent. They have survived centuries of political struggle and turmoil. Mute Raven is a work that speaks of silence and could be an instrument to calm the spirit into a natural repose.

Introduction

Curatorial Essay

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