The Chihuly Collection’s New Special Exhibit Bursts with Cascading Color

BURST: Akiko Kotani Debuts a Larger-than-Life Installation Made Entirely of Satin

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Chihuly Collection proudly presents BURST: Akiko Kotani beginning on Saturday, December 14. Akiko Kotani’s newest installation, BURST, depicts mother nature’s unrelenting power through color and form. Comprised of large, crocheted panels in vibrant satin waves, this exhibition conveys the potent force of nature, bursting forth from the gallery walls.
Amanda Cooper, chief curator at the Morean Arts Center, said “Akiko Kotani’s exuberant installation BURST is a perfect fit for the featured artist space here at the Chihuly Collection. Both Akiko and Dale Chihuly find their inspiration in nature, share a love for vibrant color and form, and delight audiences with their over-the-top installations that defy the parameters of the traditional gallery space. Visitors to the Collection will be amazed by the scope and hand-crafted detail of Akiko’s latest creation.”
Akiko Kotani was born in Waipahu, HI and received her BFA in Painting from the University of Hawaii. She lived in the TriBeCa area of New York City, then left for Guatemala to study Mayan weaving. Wanting to integrate this cultural tradition into a contemporary vocabulary, she received her MFA in textiles from Tyler School of Art, PA and spent the next 21 years teaching as Professor of Art at Slippery Rock University and at Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
The show displays Kotani’s mastery of textile formations and illuminates the entire room in blushing softness. The Chihuly Collection will be hosting an artist talk, Cocktails at the Collection, on February 7 from 6-8pm. For more information, please visit MoreanArtsCenter.org or call 727.822.7872.
BURST: Akiko Kotani will be on view at the Chihuly Collection at 720 Central Avenue from December 14 through March 8, 2025.