Come and enjoy a Live Art Installation with artist Chiho Harazaki at the Town Center Art Space at Westfield Valencia Town Center Mall. From 11am to 8pm on October 26 and 27, Harazaki will be installing her newest tape art exhibition 'Tradition in Contemporary Art.'

Chiho Harazaki was born and raised in the countryside of Japan. She spent every summer of her childhood with her sculptor uncle at his studio in the mountains. His lifestyle and approach to art were big influences on her. After moving to the U.S. and discovering tape art in college, Chiho became fascinated with using various kinds of adhesive tape for her art. Tiny pieces of tape, cut by precision knife and scissors compose a whole picture and create works that have not only the feeling of modern graphic illustration but also of traditional arts like woodcut and paper cutting.

For this exhibition, Chiho drew a crane among pines with adhesive tape, based on the design of traditional Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda, or “flower cards.” A Hanafuda card deck is comprised of 48 cards, including 12 suits, each representing a month of the year with imagery that often includes animals, insects, the moon or other nature imagery, as well as a seasonal flower or other seasonal plant.

The red-crowned crane, a red sun, and pines represent January. Both pine and crane are symbols of long life and good luck in Asia. The pine tree stays green and alive no matter how cold the winter is. Red-crowned cranes are sacred birds and are symbols of marital harmony. 

After embracing life in the United States, Chiho re-evaluated the culture in which she had grown up, becoming passionate about sharing it through her art. Using the unique medium of tape, she combines elements of Japanese tradition with contemporary art in order to share across cultures and generations.

To see more of Chiho’s work visit: chihoharazaki.com