I am an artist who strives to illuminate and tease stereotypes, first impressions, preconceived notions and daily glitches that makes us pause, for more than a fraction of a second. In my work, I try to engage the viewer directly, with the hope that they can disregard what they already know, in light of what they see and how they react to it. The titles I provide to individual pieces are meant as a provocation for expanding the visual expectation of the audience. I deconstruct and reconstruct forms, so the viewer can analyze the pieces presented in front of them as a new "idea", thus encouraging them to deny the obvious. I invite my audience to decide the meaning of the piece by tapping into their own memories and experiences.
Akemi Ohira is an artist who specializes in intaglio, lithography and relief printmaking processes, as well as egg tempera, acrylic and oil paintings. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Printmaking and Drawing concentrations with the Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Medal from Cornell University, and a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Southeastern College Arts Conference (SECAC)Visual Arts Grant and Professional Fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. She teaches Printmaking and Drawing at the University of Virginia where she is an Associate Professor of Art.
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