THE KABUKI SERIES
Hugh Atkins

March 25 - May 2, 2021

Opening Reception:
Friday, April 2, 2021 | 5 - 8 PM

Kabuki is a type of Japanese theatre usually defined as “ka”(music), “bu”(dance) and “ki”(performance), but the origins of the word derive from the idea of tilting out of true, of nonconformity. Although nowadays the dramatic form is highly stylized, there is still room for innovation and Kabuki’s influence can be seen in everyone from Tarantino to Lady Gaga.

In this show, Kabuki figures are placed in different scenarios, creating juxtapositions that are both revealing and incongruous, comical and poignant. As such they reflect both the world from which they come and the one in which we live.

In Hugh Atkins’ work, he uses found images to invent realities for which they were not originally intended.

Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery