Feast of Fools: The Triptych Paintings of Masami Teraoka

on June 2, 2015 at 10:01 am

Work by Masami Teraoka is on display at Honolulu Museum of Art through August PHOTO COURTESY HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART

You may not know where to start when you first see one of Masami Teraoka’s paintings, so let us give you a few highlights: Japanese geisha, Russian band Pussy Riot and … Pope Francis? It’s all part of Teraoka’s The Cloisters Last Supper – Triptych Series, selections of which will be on display through Aug. 30 at Honolulu Museum of Art.

Teraoka combines Japanese ukiyo-e techniques with Medieval and Renaissance visuals, plus history, politics and about a million other things in his immense, detailed triptychs (three-paneled paintings that can open or close like a set of doors). His work reminds us of Hieronymus Bosch’s famed triptychs, honestly.

This series focuses on a criticism of Catholic clerical sex abuse. “Underlying this theme, I see an authoritative institution trying to dictate individuals’ sexual relationships, gender and morality,” states Teraoka. “To bring out such compelling cultural issues and put them on the Last Supper table may be an appropriate place to start a dialogue to investigate the nature of such abuses.”

Attendees may also get to see Teraoka at work on his newest triptych, Pussy Riot/Swan Lake.

For details, visit honolulumuseum.org.

THE LONGWAY WAKEUP

Multimedia artist Eric Cyganik Morgan’s latest exhibit, The Longway Wakeup, combines ‘taking the long way home’ with ‘waking up’ PHOTO COURTESY ERIC CYGANIK MORGAN

See if you can spot local landmarks (like the Pali tunnel) amidst the Expressionism, folk painting traditions and color zones running rampant in Windward artist Eric Cyganik Morgan’s The Longway Wakeup.

The multimedia exhibition, featuring everything from ink and acrylic to video and sound, opens with a reception from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday (June 5) at Studio 114 in Chinatown. After that, the exhibit can only be viewed by appointment through June 21.

Studio 114 is located at 114 N. King St. For more information, email espencera@gmail.com.