…from the middle through the middle…
Hana Sakuma
6 April – 18 May 2002

Since graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art MFA course in 1997, Hana Sakuma has shown her installation work widely, both nationally and internationally.  This was her first solo exhibition in Scotland and centred around a new piece of work developed especially for the gallery which challenges the British attitude towards Death.  

The main work consists of hundreds of sentences relating to death written onto a sculptural structure resembling a blackboard and small chairs.  These sentences are taken from second-hand books and are written in chalk, then partly wiped off to leave only traces of the text.  This was accompanied by a series of smaller works that investigate the notions lost in translation between English and Japanese both culturally and linguistically.

The installation weaves together two different elements: the artists’ analytical and personal interpretation as a foreigner to aspects of sociology and history in British culture; and the precious and meticulous handcrafted technique she uses- overly patient and precise.

The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue containing essays by Tomoko Kuroiwa, an independent curator based in Tokyo and Richard McRae, a London-based artist and writer.  The essays explored Hana Sakuma’s work in relation to her cultural background in Japan and Britain.  This was also dealt with in a series of educational events associated with the exhibition, including an artists’ talk for a local audience, workshops with school children and a discussion event with students on the Japanese Studies courses at Stirling University.

Exhibition supported by Scottish Arts Council, Sasakawa Foundation and Kojimachi Gallery, Tokyo

Hana Sakuma, Blackboard 'died like a gentleman', 2002

Hana Sakuma, Blackboard 'died like a gentlemen', detail, 2002

Hana Sakuma, The Horizon, two food jars filled with oil and water, a photo of a man shaking the jar, table, 2001

Hana Sakuma, Thesaurus, ink on a rubberband, 2002

Hana Sakuma, ''Diffelence' Between (el) and (a:r), 'L' and 'R' removed from Alfabeto pasta, detail, 2002