A Sculptor’s Tribute to the People Stands Tall in Little Tokyo

“This is my tribute to the Japanese people in Los Angeles,” says sculptor Michihiro Kosuge, of his three-piece bronze-and-stainless steel sculpture that was erected this week in Little Tokyo’s Gilbert W. Lindsay Mall.

“It’s about the history of Japanese immigration--if you look at their history, it’s remarkable. Their prosperity is really good,” said Kosuge, who now lives in Portland, Ore., but was born in Tokyo. “I came here 24 years ago, so I know how difficult coming to this country as a stranger is. . . . This is more than just a sculpture--it’s punctuating to them that they did a good job.”

Kosuge’s piece, which is untitled, consists of three column-like pieces, the tallest of which is 48 feet. The shortest piece, which stands 24 feet tall, is made to resemble a type of Japanese lantern called a toro , Kosuge said. The other two pieces resemble garans , which were placed on top of old Japanese temples, and are composed of several stainless steel abstract geometric shapes (which Kosuge called “fun, Japanese kind of shapes”) stacked atop one another.

On top of all three pieces are tall bronze spires with shapes resembling origami birds. The birds represent peace, Kosuge said, although they are made to be a mixture of many birds, not a specific type.

The sculpture, which is located behind Union Bank, was commissioned for $45,000 by the All Right Corp. which owns much of Little Tokyo. This was the first Los Angeles job for Kosuge, 46, who has had exhibitions in such locales as the San Francisco Art Institute, and teaches sculpture, basic design and architecture at Portland State University.

“This is for the Japanese people,” said Kosuge, glancing up at his work. “It represents proserity, and being healthy, business-wise--those kind of hopes.”

ART BULLETIN BOARDS: Hand-painted billboard reproductions of artworks by Tomata duPlenty, Victor Henderson and Elizabeth Garrison and May Sun have been placed in the Los Angeles area as part of the second ArtBulletin Program run by Patrick Media Group and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions.

The three displays, which are 14-feet by 48-feet, will be at their current sites until Jan. 15, at which time they will be moved to as yet undertermined alternate locations in the L.A. area. The works will hang for one month each at four different sites.

DuPlenty’s piece entitled “Remember Your First Love?” is at Lincoln Boulevard and 83rd Street in Santa Monica. The artist calls his piece, which is comprised of four panels with drawings of different first-love type of situations (such as a man and a woman, and a small boy holding a sheep), “a tribute to the legacy of love that begins with just a spark.”

Henderson and Garrison’s collaborative piece, “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful” has been placed on Melrose near Fairfax. It combines that familiar ad slogan with a rendition of Abraham Lincoln, dressed in ‘60s garb, in a model’s pose.

Sun’s piece deals with June’s Tien An Men Square massacre and uses familiar portraits Mao Tse-tung and Colonel Sanders to comment on the differing views in China and the United States. It is now displayed in Van Nuys at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Woodley Ave.

VAN GOGH HIGHLIGHTS: The Long Beach Museum of Art is hosting “Van Gogh Cultural Highlights,” a guided tour of parts of the Netherlands and Belgium, from May 25 to June 3. The tour, which costs $2,300 per person including air fare and hotels, coincides with “Van Gogh 1990,” a series of nationwide exhibits and events in Holland marking the centenary of Van Gogh’s death on July 29, 1890. The tour’s itinerary includes visits to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Kroller-Muller Museum near the medieval town of Maastricht, the open-air Nuenen museum near Eindhoven, the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, and the Peter Paul Rubens Museum in Antwerp. For information, contact Joan Van Hooten, the museum’s coordinator of development and membership, at (213) 439-2119.

NOTES: A new UCLA Extension course, “Art of the Dreamtime: The Aborigines of Australia,” will examine Aboriginal art, from the cave galleries at Arnhemland (which are more than twice the age of the famed cave paintings of Lascaux) to contemporary paintings. The course, which will be taught by Australian Aboriginal art specialist Christine A. Dyer, will be held at UCLA Monday evenings from Jan. 8-March 12. The enrollment fee is $200. Call (213) 206-8503 for more information. . . . Artist Ed Moses has been chosen to receive a Heritage Award from the Santa Monica Heritage Museum. The awards honor individuals who have contributed to the development and growth of Santa Monica. Moses will be recognized at a gala awards dinner Jan. 27 at Heritage Restaurant, which is adjacent to the museum. The gala will begin at the museum with a preview of “Ed Moses--Works on Paper,” which will be on view Feb. 1-April 1.