Green Chalk Contemporary in Monterey's Lighthouse District is proud to present Ancestral Observations: Demystification of Magical Powers, Part I: Earth, the Boundless Sky/Sea by Mai Ryuno with Misuzu Kamaishi, open June 7 - July 8, 2014.

The entire community is welcome to join us for the opening reception for the exhibition on Saturday, June 7, 6pm-8pm.

Ancestral Observations: Demystification of Magical Powers is Mai Ryuno's ongoing mapping project partially based on Ryuno's experiences following the Northeastern Japan (Tohoku) earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Part I: Earth, The Boundless Sky/Sea presents the work of two artists documenting their observations of a natural disaster.

The exhibition juxtaposes Misuzu Kamaishi's fixed viewpont photographs, taken from her home which barely survived the earthquake and tsunami, with sea-water color paintings by Mai Ryuno. While Kamaishi captures the violence and recovery from the disaster, Ryuno's paintings are inspired by photographs of the sky, which she took in Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagano, Monterey, San Francisco, and Big Sur to note time passing after the tragedy.

Kamaishi's photos show the extraordinary conditions of the damaged area of Northeastern Japan, while Ryuno's paintings document the timelessness of unaffected places. It also suggests that there is an invisible connection, regardless of the distance, between strangers observing the same event.

Green Chalk Contemporary art gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday, 1pm-7pm and by appointment. For more information, please phone Ami-Sue Lawless at 831-601-0534.