After making her way to Berlin three years ago, Hara Katsiki won the Illustrative Young Illustrators Award in 2010. Since then, Hara has been working as both an artist and graphic designer in Germany. From drawing to costume design, fashion, and music, Hara Katsiki lets her creativity choose the medium. Currently exploring illustration, Hara Katsiki is also uncovering elements of costume design and painting for future work.
Hara Katsiki’s first solo show, which is at present exhibited at West Berlin Gallery in Berlin, Germany, is a sneak peak in to the fantastically romantic inner world of her thought-dreams. Always keen to experiment, Hara’s work transcends the boundaries of her imagination. Using her dreams as the main source of inspiration, Katsiki was inclined to define/refine the art for this latest collection by using three primary colors: black, white and gold. Hara is also using ink on paper and wood, creating abstract pieces reminiscent of what she describes as “nature’s unspoken beauty”.
Her show, which displays a wealth of melancholic imagery, is one reflective of extremely personal connections. A main source of inspiration for this show was not only Hara’s relationship to nature (mainly the ocean), but also her relationship with the customary obscurities of her adult presence in today’s society; each piece has its individual peculiarity.
One of the most important pieces for this show is “Float”. This piece, in particular, is subconsciously the connecting factor for the rest of the show. Looking at this specific piece, you find all that is Hara reflected on the presented objects, both apparent and obscure. The lower third of this three-part narrative is a reflection of her desired subconscious, a playful, childlike view of a life without worry. The middle is a constant reminder of her presence in this place we call earth - messy, morbid, and beautifully intoxicating. And the upper third is reflective of a harmoniously accepted, painfully content state of mind – the owl, the crown, the branches.
An honorable mention is Hara’s “Peruvian Paso”. This piece is favored by the artist, and represents mainly a desire and future plan to indulge both physically and mentally in to the Peruvian culture. This work was the finished product of the gold series of Hara’s collection - a therapeutic escape from all that is chaotic; a horse, clearly abstracted, wears a Peruvian paso, complex yet effortless.
