Akihiko Izukura: Life in Colors in Hawaii

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    Textile artist Akihiko Izukura oversees the installation of his work "Life in Colors" at the Academy Art Center.

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    "Life in Colors" at the Academy Art Center.

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    Akihiko Izukura. Textile installation on Shikoku, Japan.

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    Akihiko Izukura. Textile installation, Shikoku, Japan.

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    Akihiko Izukura's "Life in Colors" at Academy Art Center, 1-11-12.

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    Akihiko Izukura's installation "Life in Colors" at Academy Art Center, 1-11-12.

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January 15, 2012 - February 15, 2012
Academy Art Center

Exhibition Overview

From Jan. 11 to 15, renowned Kyoto-based natural textile artist and fashion designer Akihiko Izukura is working on an installation at the Academy Art Center, which flows from the building's Mezzanine out to the front lawn. The work is view through February 15. Izukura recently did an installation on Shikoku, and his Hawai‘i installation uses some of the same elements.

More programming:

Izukura workshop series, Jan 18-Feb 10, Academy Art Center. Registration deadline is Jan 6.

Exhibition at the University of Hawai‘i–Mānoa Commons Gallery, Jan 17-27.

Izukura public lecture on Art and Sustainability, University of Hawai‘i–Mānoa, Jan 17, 6:30pm.


The University of Hawai‘i–Mānoa and the Honolulu Academy of Arts present Life in Colors in Hawai‘i by renowned Kyoto-based textile artist Akihiko Izukura.  The large-scale installation features impressive splashes of color on the landscape, as well as innovative examples of his natural dyeing and weaving. 

Izukura's philosophy is based on sustainability and the desire to improve the surrounding environment and hand it down to the next generation in a better state than it is now.

Izukura was born into a family that for many generations weaved obi in Nishijin, Kyoto. After graduating from Doshisha University, he became president of his family’s business, where he developed his own laboratory and devoted himself to the study of dyeing and weaving. Almost immediately his textile works garnered national prizes. He reached a turning point when he received a major prize in 1986 for a work of braided tapestry—made with chemical dyes. That is when he began his dialogue with nature, and this personal journey continues today, taking him to places throughout Japan and overseas to demonstrate this ongoing dialogue.

Hawai‘i is an ideal location for Life in Colors. The natural beauty of the islands, with its underlying radiance and power, inspires Izukura, a natural textile artist, who seeks to find a path for people to coexist with nature.