Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kana Tanaka. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Cascade, 2013

Kana Tanaka
(Japanese, born 1972)

Location: Washington State University - Spokane, Spokane

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Kana Tanaka's art installation Cascade references the nearby Spokane River and its rushing waterfalls. Colorful and reflective leaves, flower petals, and fish made of dichroic glass are scattered throughout the thousands of hand-formed clear glass spheres. Dichroic glass contains multiple colors that change depending on light and the viewer's position. The artwork as a whole hangs over and throughout the stairwell like a gushing river. Tanaka notes, “The river does many things – it purifies the rushing waters, it soothes and refreshes.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State University.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kana Tanaka is an installation artist who uses glass to explore light and optical phenomena, and to challenge our conventional ways of seeing. In her own words, “Instead of making simple objects, which the viewer looks at, I create experiences that surround the viewer and affect their senses… Viewers become part of the work as they interact with it and observe light.”

Born and raised in Aichi, Japan, Tanaka specialized in glassblowing at the National Aichi University of Education in Japan, and continued to study glass and light during her Master of Fine Arts degree at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.