Yasuaki Onishi art installation amazes Newman community

Yasuaki Onishi, Artist in Residence in the Shire of East Pilbara’s 2015 Art at the Heart, displayed his East Pilbara-inspired art installation last week, to mark the conclusion of his residency.

Yasuaki Onishi amazed the community with the unveiling of his installation which was made entirely of glue, suspended from fishing line and wire, which he constructed and installed in the squash court at the Newman Club. The artwork could be walked through and viewed from the rear, front, inside and from the viewing platform above.

Onishi’s inspiration for the piece came when he stood in the almost dry bed of the Fortescue River and imagined heavy rain flowing down the river and transforming the landscape. On his first night in Newman it rained heavily.

“The Art at the Heart Residency had been a fantastic vehicle for the Shire of East Pilbara to showcase the original beauty and mystique of this region we are so proud to call home,” said Cr. Gerry Parsons who officiated at the event. “On behalf of the Shire of East Pilbara I would like to offer my thanks to Archipelago Arts for collaborating with the Shire to produce this program. I would also like to thank the Newman Club for their support and the use of their squash court which was used as a temporary artist’s studio.”

Speaking to Yasuaki she added, “It has been wonderful having you here with us these past six weeks, and we hope you will hold a piece of the East Pilbara in your heart forever. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us and leaving such a magnificent legacy of your stay.”

Yasuaki Onishi is based in Osaka, Japan. He is well known for using the simplest of materials – hot glue, rope, plastic sheeting, and wire – to create installations that explore and visualize unseen concepts such as time, gravity and space. He has had solo exhibitions in Japan, Europe, and the USA, and now in Pilbara, Western Australia.

Currently in its second year, the annual Art at the Heart residency is a four‐year commitment by the Shire of East Pilbara to celebrate and develop the local arts and cultural landscape. With a commission budget of $40,000 and an artist prize of $15,000, the Art at the Heart residency is one of the best funded of its kind in Australia.