Past Residents
Past Resident2021: Pola Art Foundation
Saya Irie
Saya Irie’s work is inspired from everyday life and its ties to the distant past. Irie modifies objects by means of reduction, working with books, photographs, banknotes, and soaps, amongst others objects. Her practice is based on the idea that life continues to exist in an imperceptible sphere even after its external form disappears.
Saya Irie has exhibited work at Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art; Setouchi Triennale, Shōdoshima, Kagawa, Japan; and Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, among others.
Events & Exhibitions
2020 Fall Open Studios
November 17–November 18, 2020
Saya Irie, Kannon Dust (Kukurihime), 2016, Japanese hanging scroll and eraser shavings, figure: 7 x 4.7 x 2.4 in.; hanging scroll: 24 x 71 in.
Saya Irie, Mau Dust, 2016, charm and eraser shavings, figure: 5 x 6 x 2.4 in., charm: 20 x 28 in.
Saya Irie, Mary Dust, 2020, Kapanese hanging scroll and eraser shavings, figure: 2.4 x 1.7 x1.5 in.; hanging scroll: 16 x 9.4 x0.6 in.
Saya Irie, Disny Dust, 2015, children's book and eraser shavings, figure: 5 x 3.5 x 2.3 in., book: 7.8 x 12 in.
Saya Irie, Jyashouten Dust, 2019, Japanese hanging scroll, cardboard boxes, and eraser shavings, 90 x 70 x 12 in.
Past Resident2021: Celebrate the Studio
Tommy Kha
Tommy Kha’s work is a mapping of Asian Diaspora and possible spaces for queerness. He is interested in photographic imaging of Otherness. In his practice, he often rephotographs cutouts to create pictures that straddle between self-portrait, still life, and landscape. Kha’s work is a continuation of his mother’s photographs from 1984—a year after she fled Vietnam. His mother’s images depict gatherings, celebration, and liberation, whereas Kha’s picture making is performative and collaborative.
Tommy Kha has exhibited work at Blue Sky Gallery, Portland; International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion, Hyères, France; Baxter Street at Camera Club of New York, among others.
Tommy Kha, Reunification (I), Brooklyn/Memphis, 2020, archival pigment print, 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm).
Tommy Kha, Assemblies I (Crying in Three Takes), 2020, archival pigment print on jigsaw puzzle.
Tommy Kha, Stops (I), Marsha P. Johnson Park, 2020, archival pigment print, 50 × 40 in. (127 × 101.6 cm).
Tommy Kha, Constellations (XVIII), Whitehaven, Memphis, 2019, archival pigment print, 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm).
Tommy Kha, Constellations (XXI), Ridgewood/Fort Tilden Beach, 2020, archival pigment print, 40 × 50 in. (101.6 × 127 cm).
Residents from United States
Past Resident2021: University of the Arts Helsinki2020: University of the Arts Helsinki
Anna Estarriola
Anna Estarriola is interested in the exchanges and interactions between visual and media arts with other disciplines, including performing arts and technology. The themes of her work revolve around perception of reality, individual and communal behavior, and communication. She uses cross-disciplinary narrative structures that explore and question the union of content, medium and context. Over the last years, she has created media installation works combining sculptures and moving image with dramaturgy, mechanics and electronics.
Anna Estarriola has exhibited work at Galerie Anhava, Helsinki; Pori Art Museum, Finland; and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, among others.
Events & Exhibitions
2021 Spring Open Studios
April 27–April 28, 2021
Anna Estarriola, Emerging Toughts, 2015, sound installation.
Anna Estarriola, The system, 2017, media installation.
Anna Estarriola, Resonance, 2019, sound installation.
Anna Estarriola, Guided, 2019, sound installation.
Anna Estarriola, Transition / Assisted Breathing, 2019, media installation.
