KOHEI NAWA

In Pixcell-Topi (Lot 1613) from his Beads series, Kohei Nawa takes a real deer's head and conceals it with glass beads of various sizes to distort the visual and tactile sensation of the inner subject, inviting a re-examination of existing associations of the deer. Through Disney movies such as Bambi, we are predisposed to feel sympathy or awe for these elegant creatures transformed into prized stuffed animals by hunting. However when viewed from under semi-opaque beading, the crystallized effect limits select segments of the deer's coloring to show in pixilated composition while the cold sensation of the glass contradicts the warmth of a living animal, thus elevating a sense of artifice and optical illusion. By parting with pre-existing notions of a deer, its behavior and livelihood under its glass disguise, the viewer faces the work with objective eyes, appreciating Nawa's authoritative craftsmanship and facility with his chosen medium.