Alexa Hatanaka
Alexa Hatanaka engages in time-intensive, historic processes connected to her Japanese heritage that support her thinking around community-building, environment, and honouring evolving cultural practices such as relief-printmaking, papermaking and kamiko, the practice of sewing garments out of konnyaku starch-strengthened washi (Japanese paper). Her seminal work “Hazmat Suit (unborn/ reborn tsunami)” was acquired by the National Gallery of Canada in 2021 and is exhibited in the contemporary gallery. Her individually and collaboratively authored work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; the British Museum and Canada House in London; the Toronto Biennial of Art; and the Guanlan International Printmaking Base, Shenzen, China. Hatanaka is represented by Patel Brown Gallery.
Selected work
2 works-
Untitled hazmat suit (unborn/ reborn tsunami), sewn relief prints on washi, kakishibu, konnyaku, Alexa Hatanaka, 2020 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Photo: NGC -
koinobori (eat rice, play with cats) 2021 Sewn washi (Japanese paper): Haini kozo from Kakishi Seishi, miscellaneous washi from Japanese Paper Place, woodcut, linocut, sumi ink, oil-based ink, indigo dye, kakishibu dye, collected paper rice bags Photo: Patel Brown Gallery, Laura Findlay
