WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Large graphite drawings that intertwine the influences of traditional Japanese calligraphy with the techniques and aesthetics of Western drawing are on display in Mayuko Ono Gray’s exhibition, “This too, shall pass,” running March 19 through April 17 at The Gallery at Penn College.
“My pieces typically feature images drawn from everyday encounters – people, animals and still life – paired with Japanese proverbs,” Ono Gray shared in her artist’s statement. “These proverbs are written in intertwining hiragana and kanji characters, forming a single, continuous line that moves across the pictorial plane. Beginning at the top right and ending at the bottom left, this calligraphic line mirrors the structure of traditional Japanese writing. It also serves as a metaphor for life itself – a journey with a beginning and an end, punctuated by a complex, unfolding path. Proverbs offer succinct yet profound reflections on human nature, providing timeless lessons that resonate across the generations.”
With graphite drawing as her primary medium, Ono Gray navigates her position living between two cultures and languages, and her work “unfolds as a dialogue between the tangible and the intangible, the temporal and the timeless, and the deeply personal and the universally shared.”
Based in Houston, Ono Gray was born in Japan and attained a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Houston in 2007. She serves as an adjunct professor at her alma mater.
The showing of “This too, shall pass” at The Gallery at Penn College is its Pennsylvania debut. The exhibition has been displayed in nine other states and Canada.
Ono Gray’s artwork has also been exhibited in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Greece and the U.K., as well as in public collections and commissions. She is represented by Hooks-Epstein Galleries in Houston and Galeria 910 in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Located on the third floor of The Madigan Library, The Gallery at Penn College is open 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon to 4 p.m. Fridays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Mondays and Saturdays.) Admission is free.
The Gallery at Penn College is a cultural asset to the college and local communities, providing the opportunity for appreciation and exploration of contemporary art and encouraging critical thinking and meaningful experiences.
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