Kumi Yamashita

When viewing Kumi Yamashit'a's ingenious art, we confront our simple notion that solid predicts shadow--that a picket pence will cast a series of parallel lines on the sidewalk| the little girl on the street will have a ghostly twin running beside her. The notion of the truthfulness of shadows is the basis of a story by the ancient Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who wrote of a young woman who traced on a wall the shadow cast by her departing lover's head. The tale, which became popularly known as the "invention of painting," was a common subject of eighteenth-century European art. The creation of silhouettes captivated Europe at the same time and became known in France as "ombremanie"--shadow mania. As in the Roman tale, the sitter's head was lit from the side. The shadow the profile cast onto paper was traced and cut out. Many believed the character of the sitter could be read from this image--that the appearance and personality of the sitter were truly reflected in the shadow silhouette. Exhibition held in the Street Level Gallery space.