In Pursuit of Beauty, 2019

The In Pursuit of Beauty series is a blend of nationalities, culture and art, developed and curated by SoLA’s international consultant and artist, Lore Eckelberry. Her long-time friend and colleague, artist and professor Morita Kazuyoshi, is co-curator. The In Pursuit of Beauty 2019 artists were carefully selected from their local Los Angeles and Tokyo art scenes by Eckelberry and Kazuyoshi, respectively.

This exhibition attempts to show how artists from Japan and the United States perceive beauty within the world.  It is about looking at beauty through an international prism.

“In bringing into reality the show In Pursuit of Beauty, I am trying to connect a relationship, friendship and culture between Japan and the United States,” explains Eckelberry. “Also, to bring the opportunity to artists who may not have come to the United States before to get the taste of America, as it was the same for us to go there and get the taste of Japan.”

In the first installment of In Pursuit of Beauty in 2017, the Japanese and U.S. artists showed their work at Gallery 3331 in Tokyo, beginning a conversation of understanding and discovering both the complexities and similarities of two completely different cultures. The second exhibition was held one year later at SoLA where the Los Angeles artists showed three pieces each – one from the first installment in Tokyo, one new piece influenced by the Tokyo trip, and one new piece that they feel represents them as L.A. artists. This third installment will include all new work since the second show. The show will not only be a display of the delicate progression of how artists’ central themes and styles evolve, but also a window into how the conversation of this cultural exchange has been building over time and seeing where the cross currents meet.

“My purpose for this exhibition is to create an artistic experience for Japanese artists,” says Kazuyoshi. “And I hope that the exchange through this exhibition will lead to the next leap for artists and viewers.”

Universally, artists naturally question what is beautiful from a cultural and individual standpoint.  The artist is always questioning the value of what they see and determining what prevails within the work. It is the hope of In Pursuit of Beauty that the artworks will either challenge, expand or affirm the viewers’ own interpretations of beauty.

“I think that through art we can expand relationships between countries,” continues Eckelberry. “Art is the universal language and I am hoping that our links become ever closer.”