APETALOUS II: New works of flowers having no petals
Katsura Okada

January 8 - February 1, 2015
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 8, 6-9pm
Brooklyn, NY - December 2014

A.I.R. Gallery is pleased to announce, APETALOUS II:
New works of flowers having no petals, an exhibition of
new works by Katsura Okada on view in Gallery II from
January 8 – February 1, 2015. The opening reception
will be held on January 8th from 6-9pm.

APETALOUS II continues Okada’s series of golden
paintings infused with both concrete and abstract
forms. “APETALOUS” means “flowers having no petals”.
The paintings in APETALOUS II are inspired by Okada’s
reaction to the Tohoku Earthquake that shook Japan on
March 11, 2011. It is the most powerful recorded
earthquake to ever hit Japan. Okada’s paintings portray
abstract and organic forms, focusing on pistils and stamens. She utilizes powdered Mica, golden pigments, and natural liquid adhesive on handmade paper to paint countless tiny
dots and lines. Okada says: “I find such unique and beautiful forms in flowers without petals. I feel that the cores of flowers store
so much life within their organic shapes.”
In his essay, John Austin writes “It is the freshness and the immediacy of her hand that draws the eye of the beholder Katsura
Okada’s delicate paintings of flowers. Her image-making involves a fragile synthesis: It draws together her powers of observation as well as those of her singular intelligence. Together they re-construct the world for us through the creative action of her imagination.” Okada’s love of both painting and flowers is longstanding: “In my childhood I loved painting very much, especially wild flowers. Such realistic paintings for me are like a plant encyclopedia.”