Fairfax Students Visit Catharsis Contained
After the opening reception for Kazuki Takizawa’s solo exhibit Catharsis Contained this weekend, we welcomed AP photography students from Fairfax High School for a special talk with the artist bright and early Monday morning. To begin, the teens were immediately fascinated by the variety of colors, shapes, and patterns in his work.
After viewing the show independently and talking among themselves, the students all sat down for an intimate conversation with Kazuki. He gave a presentation about his development as a young artist, exploration of glass as material and the role that mental illness has played as impetus for some of his work. Kazuki spoke about initiating the conversation about how we deal with mental health in our society, and how age, cultural and ethnic background, and personal relationships come into play. Through this exhibition, teens were able to understand the symbolic representation of glass in relationship to the fragility of our mental state.
Overall, the students were struck by the artist’s openness and honesty, combined with his ability to manipulate glass into sculpture forms. At the close of the visit, they were eager to photograph individual pieces and share them in their class and with friends, as well on social media.