ABOUT THE EXHIBITON

Geisha Redefined is a series of reduction woodcut prints in which Alyssa M. Endo explores the symbolic properties of traditional Japanese and Geisha culture, while questioning both conventional and contemporary ideals of beauty. In addition to her prints—which reveal Alyssa’s mastery of color—her intricately carved woodblocks will also be on display, adding a unique educational component to the exhibition.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Alyssa is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz where she got her BA in Art, with an emphasis in printmaking and photography. She started taking printmaking classes in 2010 and has never looked back. While she has experience in relief, intaglio, mokuhanga (traditional Japanese woodcut), and digital silkscreen, her passion is color-reduction woodcut—otherwise known as a “suicide block.” It is nicknamed such due to the nature of carving away a little more of the block after each color has been printed, leaving only the black outlines of the image, or the “key” layer, at the end. She’s been a co-op member of Open Ground Studios since 2013 where this body of work has blossomed, and her capacity as an emerging artist has grown and evolved. This is Alyssa’s first solo exhibition.