Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Oksana Tanasiv Gallery
70 South Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06854
Oksana Tanasiv Gallery presents its June guest:
Award-Winning Photographer Michael K. Yamaoka
Curated by Natasha Kuranko
June 11 – June 25, 2022
Opening reception Saturday, June 11, 5 – 8 PM
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 12- 6 PM
70 South Main Street, Norwalk, CT 06854
(Entrance located on Hanford Place)
New works by the well-established photographer Michael K. Yamaoka will be on view alongside the internationally-recognized Oksana Tanasiv’s Dollar Art series. The exhibition is open to the public from June 11 through June 25. A public opening reception, with beverages and lite-fare, will be held on Saturday, June 11, from 5 to 8 PM.
Interested collectors may contact the curator (203-803-8527) to arrange a private preview Friday, June 10, and reserve their purchases. To book a viewing appointment outside of gallery hours, please call 203-428-1895.
Oksana Tanasiv Gallery is easily accessible by Metro-North and is a 10-minute walk from the South Norwalk train station. The entrance is street-level and handicap accessible. Metered street parking is available for those traveling by car paid with credit card or coins. Parking is also available for purchase at the Haviland St and SoNo Square lot, located approximately a 5-minute walk from the gallery.
Michael K. Yamaoka is a Clio Advertising Award-winning international photographer who spent many years as a commercial photographer in Manhattan, shooting for many Fortune 500 companies before turning to fine art photography. Born and educated in Japan, he was the first Japanese student to receive a degree in photography from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. After relocating to New York, his unique approach to advertising photography attracted a four-star clientele, including companies such as Pepsi-Cola, AT&T, Toshiba, General Electric, and Time-Life. The tragic loss of his son, Yale student Kenneth Kagetaka, to a car accident in 1997 prompted a profound reevaluation of his creative life. Michael decided to concentrate on his personal photography. He then published a book titled Odyssey, A 35 Year Photographic Journey and established a scholarship fund in memory of his son. Working with his long-time creative associate and shooting extensively worldwide, he continues to develop the themes of solitude, stillness, and singularities in details that often emphasize the passage of time. His recent works include large-format prints that feature goddess figures in locations across the globe. Mr. Yamaoka has exhibited in critically acclaimed solo shows in New York at the New Art Center, Atlantic Gallery, German Consulate, United Nations, and various other venues. He is an award-winning member of the Salmagundi Club, where he was most recently honored with the John N. Lewis Memorial Award for Photography. He has mounted solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nuremberg, and German cities alongside group shows in New York and London. His work can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide, including the late I.M. Pei’s personal collection.
Learn more at mkyphoto.com
Oksana Tanasiv is a prolific artist whose work can be found in private collections worldwide. Her experience as a multinational, Ukrainian-born, American artist and former career as a model has gifted her with a unique perspective that inspires her work to speak upon issues diverse as economics, spirituality, fashion, celebrity, and beauty. Tanasiv demonstrates communicative strength in realism, surrealism, abstract, and pop art throughout her many collections. She can be found experimenting with a variety of techniques and media. Her most recent series, Code U, utilizes layers of epoxy and collage with interactive LED lights to convey her message of eternity and the profound joy of life. On view alongside Michael K. Yamaoka’s photographs will be Tanasiv’s Dollar Art series – exploring themes of greed, superficiality, and economics.
Oksana Tanasiv has been a featured artist at NYC Fashion Week every season since 2012. She is an active participant in national and international art fairs. Recent gallery exhibitions include VOLTA NYC 2022, Aqua Art Miami 2019, Market Art+Desig Haptom 2018, ArtExpo NYC, Flat Space Art in London, and Le Soleil Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.
In 2020, Oksana opened her new gallery located in the heart of SoNo, Connecticut. She hopes to use this space to create a flourishing community of Tri-State Area artists and collectors. Currently, Oksana is represented by Katarina Zavodszka Gallery and Big Art Now in Palm Beach, and Art Central Galleria in NYC. Her work has been sold both internationally and throughout the United States.