JETAA Toronto and JAVA Toronto are proud to present NAKAMICHI/MIDDLE DISTANCE, an art exhibition featuring Japanese and English speaking artists. Focused on the idea of interpreting the idea of middle distance, JET alumni will present their interpretations of the theme along side other artists.
In anticipation of NAKAMICHI/MIDDLE DISTANCE, JETAA Toronto is excited to share profiles of seven very talented JET alumni artists who will be participating in the show. From ceramics to photography and illustration, it’s always amazing to see the variety of artistic talents from our members! Continue reading to see just some of the amazing artwork that will be exhibited and take a look at some of our very own JET Alumni featured this year.
NAKAMICHI/MIDDLE DISTANCE Artist Profiles
Natalie Bay
JET Placement: Chiba-ken, 2003-2004
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
These two images are part of the same piece. Taken earlier this year in East Africa the two images, that are completely different thematically and ascetically, place the viewer in a place of “middle distance”. We are made to feel uncomfortable with our notions about Africa and forced to think about: humanity vs. nature, beauty vs. struggle, and our relationship to another part of the world.
Sorlie Madox & M.Y. Helen Kong
JET Placements: We both worked as JETs in Osaka-fu for 3 years (Sorlie in Sakai-shi and Helen in Katano-shi)
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
We work in a variety of mediums (ceramics, fine metals, painting and illustration), taking our inspiration from both Japanese and Western 
culture. Our long interest in the Japanese tea ceremony has led us to use that as another means of expression, often creating tea wares for that purpose. We created our studio, Secret Teatime, to make a place where we can explore different materials and play with the ideas that we’ve found in the meeting points between Japanese and Western culture.
The middle distance is a place to meet and gather, a happy medium where agreement happens. Ideas are shared there, between people and between cultures. We see the middle distance in a photograph we saw recently depicting Aung San Suu Kyi receiving a bowl of tea from Urasenke’s former-iemoto Sen Genshitsu. He passed her the bowl with both hands, humbled by her commitment to peace through her time as a political prisoner. She received the bowl with both hands, humbled by his lifetime commitment to peace through his craft. They met in the middle distance and shared a bowl of tea.
This is what we aspire to.
Nicholas Jones
JET Placement: Hokkaido, 2009-2011
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
I’ve been messing around with cameras since my father handed me an old Minolta SLR in OAC. I’m always asked what kind of photography I prefer, and I never have a good answer because I don’t love any one subject more than any other. I love colour and light, and this is the best way I know how to capture them.
The thing I appreciate about the Nakamichi/Middle Distance theme is the casual way it can apply to the life experiences of the JET/Japanese Expat community. Middle Distance captures well the idea of being at a midpoint in your life: between Japan and Canada; between one life and another. It should be taken as a pretty open theme, and you shouldn’t hesitate to think that your own art can fit right into it.
Cindy Lam
JET Placement: Okayama-Ken Kurashiki-shi, 2008-2010
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
Whenever I travel, a camera is something that I must have on me at any one moment. My camera acts as my eyes for the future me, so that I may sharpen out those blurry memories.
The middle distance represents a moment in time that continues to amaze me and draws me back to that moment/situation.
Jenny Atkins
JET Placement: Nagasaki-Ken Sasebo-shi, 2005-2007
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
Following JET I decided to head to the bright city lights of Tokyo and have enjoyed living here ever since, teaching and pursuing my art whenever I get the chance. Tokyo is a great city to just people watch and draw whatever I see.
This piece of work is of Koganei Park in Tokyo during Hanami season. A beautiful time, I wanted to capture how people enjoy the transient nature of the blossoms in different ways.
Sadaf Taqvi
JET Placement: Sayama-shi, Saitama-prefecture, 2007-2010
Tell us a bit about your work and how do you perceive the idea of Middle Distance:
I prefer to wait in a spot, patiently waiting for the arrival of a subject to interact with the scene already present. I feel moved to take pictures of the way the subject’s presence may alter, enhance and/or comment on the setting.
I understand Middle Distance as state of steady transition. It is the constant that occupies the space between supposed opposites; the link between “is” and “is not”. In photos, I see this when normally contrasting images, paired next to each other, almost demand you to engage with both scene and subject, thereby creating a unified whole perspective.
More on NAKAMICHI/MIDDLE DISTANCE
Located at Goodfellas Gallery (1266 Queen St. W.), the exhibition will be open from November 22nd to the 24th. There will be an opening reception on the 23rd where you can meet some of the artists and enjoy an evening of art and celebration!
This is the 4th year that JETAA has put together a show featuring our members as artists and we couldn’t be prouder of the work they’ve put together so make sure you RSVP on our Facebook event page and feel free to invite your friends for the evening!
Get involved in NAKAMICHI/MIDDLE DISTANCE
Are you interested in submitting work but haven’t been part of an exhibition before? JETAA Toronto is proud to support any of its members who would like to have their work exhibited. In addition, we are pleased to announce that we will be providing access to a fine art printer so that your piece can look as amazing as you envisioned it! Work submitted will be printed up to 17”x22” using archival print methods.
But the best part is that JETAA will cover the cost to print your work! No messy print jobs, no busy work! Just send us a digital file of your work that’s ready to print and we’ll make sure it’s on the wall for everyone to see!
So be part of the show and contact community@staging.jetaatoronto.ca for more information as to how you can see your art hung in an established art gallery!