Story by 89 WLS web writer Kim Rasmussen

(CHICAGO) Legends, Myths and Truths: Jun Kaneko will be the latest exhibition featured in Millenium Park's Boeing Galleries. The exhibit will run from April 12th through November 3rd.

 

A pioneer in the field of monumental ceramic sculpture, Jun Kaneko is known for playing with scale and proportion. The installation Kaneko has created for Millenium Park's South Boeing Galleries will feature his signature Dangos. 

 

These ceramic steles, covered in a variety of shapes and patterns, allow viewers to examine their environment and focus on a sense of scale and place.

 

The North Boeing Gallery will feature a new body of work by Kaneko, drawing upon the myths and legends of the Tanuki figure. From ancient times, the Japanese have expressed the Tanuki in a variety of ways, as it is considered to be a trickster who causes trouble and mayhem in both the human and supernatural worlds.

 

In the modern era, the figure is most commonly portrayed as a large, stout badger. The Tanuki is not only a creature found in mythology, but a small, nocturnal mammal native to East Asia.

 

Kaneko's works balance elements of both American and Japanese aesthetics. His figures are rooted in Japanese culture and mythology, but the monumental scale of his work descends from American modern tradition.

 

The works resulting from this transcultural heritage create a unique artistic statement which will function as a universal language for all viewing audiences.

 

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