Artist, philanthropist Taiji Terasaki worked in the design field and for various nonprofits, and was fathering his children, before committing deeply to art in the last several years. Terasaki shared what it's like to feel switched on about producing work.
There really is a sort of Willie Wonka feeling in Terasaki's high ceilinged glass studio in Wailupe. It's surrounded by sustainable taro and aquaculture landscaping. In the studio, several people are busy over desks and light tables.
In the studio is a maybe 6-foot square wall sculpture that Terasaki made in response to the January assault on the U.S. Capitol. There are strips of images woven and undulating through the piece.
Terasaki also has an augmented reality piece, Fragile Earth, showing at the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. Programming for the entire festival is already underway, many films are streaming, but in-person screenings and events are happening across the state.
The Maui Film Festival launches next week. Starting Nov. 17, they'll be doing 13 films under the stars at the MACC and streaming continues to Dec. 8.
This interview aired on The Aloha Friday Conversation on Nov. 12, 2021.
