George Tsutakawa: SJIMA Generations Exhibit, Summer, 2024
A short video accompanying the 2024 exhibit @ SJIMA of Artworks by George Tsutakawa.
Every day, thousands of people interact with artworks by a Tsutakawa, one of the most prolific and influential artist families in the Pacific Northwest. The exhibit in the summer of 2024 explored the iconic and interconnected works of George Tsutakawa, Gerard Tsutakawa, and Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn. From public fountains, sculptures, and lighting displays to intimate pieces in private settings, the works of these three artists evoke harmony, movement, and presence with unifying themes of water, form, and light.
George, the father, was a pioneer in the arts of the Northwest, with global influence. Mayumi Tsutakawa, George’s daughter shared, “George discovered the Obos form in the Himalayas and adapted it into his sculpture, opening it up in his first fountain into an expression of gratitude and joy for the flow of water in space.” Sixty-four years later, this fountain continues to engage the public outside the Rem Koolhaas remodel of the Seattle Public Library. George is one of the most prolific public art sculptors in the region with more than 75 large scale bronze sculptures and fountains in public spaces.
Look at this site for other short videos of Gerard, the son, who first apprenticed with his father and went on to develop his own unique sculptural language, and Kenzan, the grandson, who is exploring new ways of transforming space through sculptural form and light. This is the first time all three artists have been featured in the same exhibition.