Artwork Spotlight | KAMI
Periodically highlighting artwork from our gallery exhibits.
Artwork Spotlights give you a glimpse into the beautiful work we have in our gallery, in hopes that you’ll be inspired to visit in person.
The exhibit on display for July and August is Kami: Interpreting the Beauty of Nature Through 3 Generations.
This show includes the work of three amazing artists who happen to be related—Kiya Nicole, Miho Kahn, and Eiko Taniguchi Kahn—working across various mediums and encapsulating over one hundred cumulative years of work.
This collection offers a small sample of our work. It is the first time these pieces have been shown together—where they can speak to one another in the same space. In dialogue, their connection becomes clear: a reverberation of the spirit, the Kami, spanning generations.
For this spotlight, we are placing our focus on Eiko Taniguchi Kahn.
Eiko immigrated to the United States from Japan with her husband when she was in her twenties. Approximately two decades later, she started taking the train from New Jersey to New York to take art classes. This is when her successful art career began.
Eiko’s daughter, Miho, and granddaughter, Kiya, chose four of her paintings to include in this family exhibition—pictured below. “Evening Tide” is an original, while the rest are prints.
Title: Evening Tide
Medium: Acrylic, framed
Dimensions: 43” x 35”
Eiko Kahn is well-accomplished, being the recipient of multiple awards throughout her career. Some examples include President's Award at the National Arts Club (1981), Albert Baldwin Prize at the National Academy of Design (1983), and the Award for Excellence at Middlesex County Museum (1985).
She was also listed as a notable artist by Marquis Who’s Who.
Title: Going Home
Medium: Framed print on canvas
Dimensions: 40” x 28”
The subject matter of Eiko’s work leans toward landscapes and other nature-related inspiration. Her mother was a teacher of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.
We don’t know much about her story, but we do know that it was rare to be a teacher in Japan as a woman in the early 20th century.
It is perhaps from her mother’s influence that Eiko developed her reverence for nature. Like mother like daughter, Miho and Kiya have demonstrated the same appreciation of natural forms through their work.
Title: Passages
Medium: Framed lithograph on paper
Dimensions: 41” x 35”
At 96 years old, Eiko Kahn is now retired from painting. However, she continues to offer creative opinions to her family. Miho jokes that Eiko frequently tells her to put a little bird in her paintings.
Despite her age-related difficulties, Eiko remains as joyful and goofy as ever—traits that her daughter and granddaughter have inherited. Check out Miho's short documentary if you’d like to learn more about Eiko’s story.
These artworks are all available for purchase in person or on the Gallery Shop!
“Kami: Interpreting the Beauty of Nature Through 3 Generations” is on display until Saturday, August 30th. There are only a couple more chances to visit the gallery and view this beautiful, intergenerational exhibit.
I promise, it is worth the drive.
Gallery Open Hours | Sunday, August 17th from 12 - 3PM
Gallery Open Hours | Sunday, August 24th from 12 - 3PM