Mari Funaki

Editorial

Born in Japan, Mari Funaki's considerable achievements between 1992 and today are celebrated here in her first major state gallery show. Featuring nearly 50 objects, this is the first time Perth audiences have the opportunity to see her work in such depth.

Rings, brooches, bracelets and objects made from mild steel and gold are at the core of Funaki's practice and the foundation of her intricate material experimentations.

Her sheer intensity of focus has seen her hone these forms into objects of extreme power and beauty. There is often a sense of danger in her work as the spindly legs of her insect-like containers support unlikely, unwieldy torsos, and as her rings and bracelets cultivate miniature monoliths that play with scale and weight in fascinating ways.

Exploring the interplay between negative and positive volume and spaces and the juxtaposition between inside and outside, this exhibition frames these unique objects in such a way as to acknowledge Funaki's ability to work with space and matter to form entrancing works that adorn the imagination in the same way they adorn the body.

Crystal James, Citysearch, April 2009