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Second Life: The Artwork of Tadashi Kojima and
Art from the Southern Indiana Japanese School, Evansville


May 15 - June 5, 2017
Reception: 2-4 p.m., Sunday, May 21, 2017

The McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries presents Second Life, an exhibit featuring paintings, drawings and ceramic works of USI art alumnus Tadashi Kojima. It will be on display May 15 – June 5, 2017. Artwork of the children he teaches at the Southern Indiana Japanese School in Evansville is also on display.

There will be a free public reception for Kojima and his students from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, May 21 in the galleries.

An engineer in Japan for 35 years, Tadashi Kojima retired from the Takizawa Ham Company, Ltd. in 2011 and came to the U.S. to teach at the Southern Indiana Japanese School in an exchange program with Evansville's sister city, Tochigi City. He earned his studio art degree from the University of Southern Indiana in May 2016. He will return to Japan permanently in July 2017.

This exhibit contains examples of the two- and three-dimensional art Kojima created while living and working in Evansville. In his artist statement he writes, "I realized there was an artist inside of me after taking a drawing class at USI in 2013. My past experiences such as understanding the logical aspects of objects, the emotional aspects of human beings, and my view of life have helped me in creating my art. I like to capture the beauty of living things and nature in my art. For me, the most important element is light. Light makes various colors and shadows which are essential for painting. I have a passion for color and composition. If the viewers have peaceful feelings and they can also be healed through my paintings, I would come close to my goals. I try to convey my love of life in all of my artwork."

Kinkaku-ji, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016
Kinkaku-ji, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016

Kura no Machi, Tochigi, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
Kura no Machi, Tochigi, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
Ozawa no Sakura, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016
Ozawa no Sakura, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016
Venice Beach, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
Venice Beach, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
The Beginning of My Second Life, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas
The Beginning of My Second Life, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas
Sunset, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
Sunset, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2015
The Water Lily Pond, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016
The Water Lily Pond, Tadashi Kojima, oil on canvas, 2016