Exploring Contrast in ‘Seven Translations for Twilight,’ an exhibition of the works of Jean Nagai and Lilah Rose at Part 2 Gallery
Installation view of Seven Translations for Twilight at Part 2 Gallery in Oakland, California
The exhibition Seven Translations for Twilight at Part 2 Gallery in Oakland, which closes this Friday, Nov. 6th, is an unexpected pairing of works by artists Jean Nagai and Lilah Rose. Hard and soft, dark and light, bold and muted, vigorous and receptive: these are just some of the juxtaposing elements created in dialogue of pairing the works of these artists together. It is this contrast that serves as an underlying theme of this exhibition with “twilight” as a metaphor for the balance of light and dark: a fleeting moment in time where we are able to see illumination from sunlight without the sun itself.
Lilah Rose “My San Rafael Swell,” Foam, satin, acyrlic, muslin, fabric dye, 74 x 70 x 5 inches. 2020
In a palette of soft warm pinks and oranges, Rose’s ‘soft sculpture’ is made using a pleating technique with hand-dyed silk and cotton-based fabrics. Her work reads ethereal, warm, and receptive. Due to the nature of her working in fabric, a medium used traditionally by women, her works also seem to embody an inherently feminine quality. Not necessarily confined by the corners of a canvas, her work takes up space, almost uncontrollable in its freedom of fullness.
This contrasts with Nagai’s painting, which on the surface, is confined to the corners of the canvas, yet takes on a distinct element of dynamicism. Layering elements of dye, acrylic and pumice on canvas in deep blues, dark reds, oranges and purple, Nagai’s work is energetic, revealing rhythmic patterns that take on a life of their own.
Jean Nagai, “A6M,” Acrylic, pumice on canvas, 60 x 48 inches 2020
Jean Nagai, Detail of “A6M,” Acrylic, pumice on canvas, 60 x 48 inches 2020
While seemingly disparate in nature, these works can also be viewed as different translations of the same idea. The title of the exhibition, Seven Translations for Twilight, is a homage to Nagai’s ancestral Japanese which uses seven different words to describe the progressive phases of twilight.
Living in Los Angeles, the two artists are husband and wife, working side by side in their Fashion District studio. In addition to their exhibition at Part 2 Gallery, Rose and Nagai have also exhibited together at Hilde Gallery in Los Angeles in 2018, and at The Hole in New York City in 2020.
The exhibition closes this Friday, Nov. 6th. Gallery is open by appointment. See Part 2 Gallery for more information.