AKAMATSU
LIZ
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SEPTEMBER 2022
Published 2022
Liz Akamatsu, Humpty Dumpty, 2010 (Cover)
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Liz Akamatsu Artist Statement
I am an object maker. Sometimes I start with an idea. I’ll objectify it out of a raw material such as steel, bronze, and/or wood. At other times, I’ll start with a found object, such as an exceptionally beautiful branch which I then incorporate into a sculpture to create a piece that is uniquely mine. This process of creating can occur in a moment or take months to come to fruition. This is the magic of making art.
My art can be categorized into four themes: examining nature, searching for identity, telling stories, and expressing through geometric form.
Examining the natural world I can find endless examples of surprising symbiotic relationships. The process of seeing and discovering inspires me to create forms that capture the essence of our precarious existence on the planet. In these works, I strive to reveal the mystery of humanity’s vital relationship with the environment.
My mother is Japanese and my father is Chinese-American. I grew up in a white community that always made me feel like an outsider. Much of my work serves as a sounding board for questions that I feel compelled to examine and address dealing with my identity.
Classical mythology and folktales provide rich sources with which to create narrative tropes. Storytelling provides understanding and guidance; it allays our fears and answers our questions.
These themes all ultimately converge to create my art, which I hope proves to be captivating, timeless, and thought provoking.
Opposite Page Eureka, 2016 (22-23)
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6 Splintered, 2005 Bronze 78 x 6 x 7 inches $18,000
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8 Yes We Have No Bananas, 2006 Bronze and Steel 51 x 21.5 x 12 inches $8,200
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10 Humpty Dumpty, 2010 Bronze 12 x 10 x 7 inches $2,750
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12 Sisyphean Lunch II, 2010 Bronze and Steel 29 x 9 x 6 inches $4,800
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14 The Three Fates, 2014 Bronze and Steel 12 x 33 x 7 inches $6,800
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16 The Needle, 2014 Bronze 78 x 6 x 7 inches $20,000
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18 Pricked, 2014 Bronze 78 x 6 x 7 inches $18,000
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20 Sama, 2014 Bronze and steel 12 x 10 x 6 inches $4,600
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22 Eureka, 2016 Bronze and steele 21 x 10 x 6 inches $6,000
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Liz Akamatsu
Abbreviated CV
EDUCATION
MFA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
BA, California State University at Fullerton
SOLO and TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2016 Needles, Labyrinths and Stardusts, Museo de Casa Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
The Three Elements, Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, TX
2014 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Susan Listerlocke Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2013 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Graficas, Nantucket, MA (also in 2012)
2011 Growing Paradise, collaboration with Piero Fenci, illustrations of poems written by Ann Filemyr (limited edition handmade letterpress book printed by the LaNana Creek Press), Museum of Contemporary Native Art Museum, Santa Fe, NM
2010 Metal Heart, Elizabeth Akamatsu and Lauren McAdam, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2009 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Texas A&M University at Commerce
2008 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Christine Sanford, South Wharf Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2006 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, South Wharf Gallery, Nantucket, MA (also in 2005, 2004, 2003 ,2002, 2001)
Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Tyler Museum, Tyler, TX
New Sculptures, Graficas, Tucson, AZ
2005 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond, VA (also in 2003, 2002)
2004 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Christine Sanford, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond, VA
2003 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Rick Lewis, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2001 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Masuru Takiguchi, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
2000 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Maryann Gelula, South Wharf Gallery, Nantucket, MA
1999 The Rock Garden, Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX
The Garden of Wants, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, TX
Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Transco Tower Gallery, Houston, TX
1997 Elizabeth Akamatsu and Piero Fenci, Main Street Gallery, Nantucket, MA (also in 1996)
1996 Solo Exhibition, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA
Gestures and Symbols, two person exhibition, Art League of Houston, TX
1993 Solo Exhibition, Cameron University Art Gallery, Lawton, OK
Solo Exhibition, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
Elizabeth Akamatsu and Kate Borcherding, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
1991 Solo Exhibition, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX
AWARDS & HONORS
2016 Public Art, 18th Annual Art on the Streets, People’s Choice Award, Colorado Springs, CO
2016 Art on Henderson, Dallas, TX, first place
2000 Best of the Southwest, first place, Longview Museum, Longview, TX
1995 Dishman Competition, second place, national juried exhibition, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
1995 29th Annual National Drawing/Small Sculpture Show, first place, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, TX
1994 Material + Form, second place, juried exhibition, Art League of Houston, Houston, TX
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PUBLICATIONS
“Re-Discovering Creativity”, Scott Trent, 2020
“Creative Jolt Inspirations”, Rose Gonnella, North Light Books, 2000
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS (SELECTION)
Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, Texas
Capital One, Richmond, Virginia Halls Park, Frisco, Texas
Kendra Scott, Austin, Texas
The Schmidt Family Foundation, California
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LIZ AKAMATSU
Catalog Design
Registrar Rachel Crawford
Published 2022 Opposite Page Sisyphean Lunch II, 2010
804-359-3633 pagebondgallery.com
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PAGE BOND GALLERY
