FEATURE: New L.A. exhibit gets creative with geta footwear

Asian Economic News, June 18, 2007

LOS ANGELES, June 15 Kyodo

''Karan koron'' is a Japanese onomatopoeia that depicts the distinctive sound made by of a pair of traditional wooden clogs called geta as the wearer shuffles across the floor.

Today, it is a sound seldom heard among the whir of life in fast-paced modern Japan. For many Japanese, the noise stirs feelings of nostalgia for times gone by, as most people no longer use geta in their everyday lives.

But geta culture is being revived in the Los Angeles art world this week. A new art exhibition called ''Karan Koron'' featuring geta created by more than 60 international artists opened at Melt Gallery in Hollywood on Thursday evening.

Curated by Los Angeles-born graffiti artist, Galo ''Make'' Canote, ''Karan Koron'' exhibits works by male and female artists from Japan, the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines, who have each designed their own pair of geta in a way that reflects the artist's relationship to traditional Japanese culture and contemporary art.

Contributors were allowed to be as creative as they desired, so long as they respected Japanese culture, something that has fascinated Canote for many years. ''The most important thing for me was to highlight Japanese culture and to display the craftsmanship of Japanese geta,'' the curator told Kyodo News in an interview prior to the opening of the show.

The result is a multi-faceted collection of footwear covering styles ranging from gothic to hip-hop, and which utilizes an array of materials from the simplest wood and cloth, to barbed-wire, plastic skulls and denim. Some pairs are playfully adorned by cartoon-like characters while others explore darker themes such as racist propaganda from World War II.

Canote said he spent several months recruiting artists to participate in the show. Those who agreed to contribute come from diverse artistic backgrounds including graffiti, hip-hop, performance art, sculpture, painting, and wood carving, to name only a few.

Koji Iijima, a performance artist and sculptor who flew from Yokohama to perform a piece featuring dance and a fire-breathing dog sculpture called ''Tetsu Inu,'' said he decided to participate in the show because he was intrigued by the idea of combining ''the very traditional with the very contemporary.''

The artist, who favors traditional Japanese clothing over Western styles, said, ''Most people think about geta as traditional stuff. But I think geta are very cool and I prefer wearing them. In fact, combining traditional clothing with new fashion is becoming increasingly popular in Japan.''

Rinka Sato, a 26-year-old Tokyo artist who specializes in paper-cutting, said that she thinks geta will continue to be embraced by Japanese because they are the most appropriate match to the kimono, which is worn during various celebrations throughout the year.

''Karan Koron'' is the first time Sato has exhibited her work in the United States. ''I am so excited to be here,'' she said in an interview at the opening of the exhibition, which runs until Sunday.

''It is great to see all these artists from around the world offer their own interpretation of Japanese culture. It is also nice to see so many people from Los Angeles come to appreciate Japanese culture.''

Canote said that he hopes the show will create a broader perspective of Japanese culture for those who visit the gallery. ''There have always been stereotypes about Japanese culture,'' he said. ''I want this exhibition to show that Japan is more than just samurai or ninjas.''