info

Towards the last two months of my last visit to India in the spring of 2012, I encountered the Tibetan community in exile in India experiencing painful news of their people self-immolating in fire one after another in China-occupied Tibet. My experiences in the past visits in India (drawing a cremation site in Varanasi, documenting fire pits, cremation alters, and contemplating on life and death around fire) synchronized with this particular movement, an extreme way of ‘offering’ their bodies to ‘fire’ for asking freedom and peace.I could not help drawing large and small drawings as emotional response and with a sense of mourning.

After coming back to Vancouver, the self-immolation kept happening and I felt that my personal and professional task is not finished.

I have come back to India to continue to document and draw under the same theme. tomoyoihaya@hotmail.com

2 December 2024

A release of an archival video 'Migration' by Fight with A Stick from 2022


 

This is an archival video of the multimedia performance produced by Fight With a Stick in 2022. 

It was truly inspirational to work with amazing people. 

FYI I paste the caption I posted in the beginning of the project. A few more performers joined. All names are in the video. 

Please take a look! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLshVB0em7shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLshVB0em7s

着想から2年余りパンデミック中にプロデュースされ2022年にヴァンクーバーでは公演されたファイト・ウィズ・ア・スティックによる「マイグレーション」のヴィデオが最近完成しました。拙作の「Eyes Water Fire」から想を得てプロデュースされたものです。ディレクターのアレックスの演出はじめ、パフォーマー、音響、ライティング、舞台装置、装飾全ての分野において素晴らしいアーティスト達と一緒に創り上げた体験が素晴らしい物でした。
ご高覧くださると幸いです。

Thank you to Alexander Lazaridis for completing and sharing this video clip. 

I hope we can show this somewhere again 🙂 

 “A collaborative project between Fight With a Stick Hybrid Performing Sociery and myself has been in progress during the pandemic time. 

Zoom meetings, solo studio productions in two locations and two workshop with a few people so far at Western Front.  

This performance is based on my video 'Eyes Water Fire' which expresses human dignity and compassionate empathy.  Fire. Butter lamps of prayers. Walking to cross the border to the safe land.  

Alex Ferugson, an artistic director of Fight With a Stick, saw the video and offered me to collaborate to make something together. 

It has been such a pleasure to work with him, Delia Brett ( one of main performers), James Maxwell ( Sound), Sooyeon Goo ( studio production ) and Taiga Chiba( Studio production).  More performers will join and I look forward to seeing what comes out from our visual, physical and inner contemplation. 

Due to the pandemic restriction,  there is no clear time line when we can show case in public...please follow a FB page of Fight With a Stick...or I will up date. 

All images' copyright belongs to otter and Fight With a Stick.”
Sent from my iPhone


https://www.fightwithastick.ca/resources

Report: Two solo exhibitions at LAMO, Leh, Ladakh


 The exhibitions were on display from October 11 to October 31 2024.

Please refer the caption pasted below and view the installation shots:


_____________________________________________________________

Hello friends: 


Kenji Najima and I will have two separate presentations at Ladakh Arts and Media Organization(LAMO) in Leh, Ladakh, India. 
——————————-
Kenji Najima will show a set of his woodblock prints and a body of new works that he created while his stay in Shakti Village. There he stayed with a local family and went to Takthok Monastery daily to meditate. 
His new works will be as a result of the experience, a contemplation of human life. 

Tomoyo Ihaya will show a set of old works created while her 18 visits to this vision, mixed media works that were shown in Japan and Taiwan, and a new body of drawings of the portraits of her close female friends. 

In addition to each works, a set of collaborative works will be shown too. 

Please read each artist’s shirt description on the Evite attached. 

If you are in Leh, please do come to the opening 🙏🏼

We would like to express our gratitude to Director Monisha Ahmad ji, and everyone at LAMO for their heartfelt supports 🙏🏼

この度 ラダックのレーにあるラダック・アート•アンド・メディア・オルガニゼーション(LAMO)で、同郷の作家さんの名嶋憲児さんと、
それぞれ個展を同時開催させていただくことになりました。

名嶋さんは2019年にラモで木版画を教えてから2回目の訪問です。そのワークショップが大変好評でウェルカム・カムバックです。わたしはしつこく通って18回目の訪問👀、個展は10年ぶりです。

名嶋さんは、1998から2000年頃に制作した木版画とともに、九月にシャクティ村で制作したミックスト・メディアの新作を展示します。
滞在中は村の家族のところにホームステイしながら毎日近くのお寺で瞑想しながら制作しました。
人が生きることについての探索がテーマです。

私は18回の滞在中、後に制作した絵、近年、韓国、台湾、日本で展示したミックスト・メディアの作品とともに、今回制作した(終わってません)親愛なる女性たちの肖像画を展示します。
命や水、自然の循環、棲むということが制作のテーマです。

また個々の作品の加えて、2022から2024に制作した共同制作作品も展示します。

十二日がオープニングです。

お世話になっているLAMO のディレクター モニーシャ・アハマッドさん並び、スタッフの方に
お礼を申し上げます。



                       The first three images: Installation shots "Mi Tse" Kenji Najima





The last three images: Installation shots 'Habitats' by Tomoyo Ihaya







Drawings on view at Art Beatus in Vancouver till the end of December


                                                                         “People Homeland”
                                                                             Tomoyo Ihaya 
                                                                  @Art Beatus Consultancy Ltd
                                                                            604-688-2633
                                                                    https://g.co/kgs/bX1wSS2

A dozen of drawings from 2012-2013 are on view at Art Beatus Art Consultant till the end of this year. 

Some of you may have seen them elsewhere but if you have not and would like to see them, please drop by. 

Those are a body of drawings shown at Walter Phillips Art Gallery in Banff last year and at Kamloops Art Gallery in 2022. 

The whole series have over 200 drawing which you can view here( please see older posts): http://tomoyoihaya.blogspot.com/



Note:
I recommend to phone  or email in advance to make sure the door is open especially towards the holiday season.