"Oriental Flavor (9 Count Variety Pack)" by Margaret Kasahara
In my ongoing series, “Oriental Flavor”, I am examining cultural tropes and clichés, and questioning cross-cultural assumptions and expectations. The work is informed by the grocery store “ethnic” aisle, pop-culture, and traditional Asian arts and antiques. The name of the series – derived from the name of the product flavor on a package of instant ramen – poses the question, what is “oriental flavor” and what might a broad interpretation of the phrase reveal? Using a mostly lighthearted approach, I invite the viewer to consider how they navigate and define their own cultural borders and identities.
Artist's Bio:
Margaret Kasahara is a visual artist who explores themes of personal and social identity. Her drawings, paintings, mixed media work, and installations have been exhibited regionally and nationally, including at the Berkshire Museum of Nature and Science (Pittsfield, MA), the Center for Visual Art (Denver, CO), the Denver Art Museum, the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the Harwood Museum (Taos, NM), and the Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA). Her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, the Denver Botanic Gardens, McNichols Civic Center (Denver, CO), and the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center (Pueblo, CO). She has been profiled in DARIA Magazine, The Denver Post, Kiva Magazine, Luxe Magazine, and the online magazine, Discover Nikkei. In 2020, Margaret was honored as a “Colorado Creative” by Denver’s Westword Magazine. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Margaret received a BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, where she graduated second in her class. She was born in New York City, raised in Boulder, Colorado, and currently lives and works in Colorado Springs. Margaret is represented by Michael Warren Contemporary in Denver, Colorado.
