Guided by his Hawaiian and Japanese roots, Edwin Ushiro journeys through misty memories of his forgotten childhood with his new solo show "while tides guide you back home," which opened last weekend at Project Gallery in Culver City. The show, which runs from July 12th through August 9th, is a collection of multi-media pieces that have been inspired by Ushiro's up-bringing on the tranquil island of Maui. Fusing traditional painting with digital imagery, the Arts Center graduate, combines a plethora of techniques like iron transfer and the use of ink, fabric, and plexi-glass to create his scenes from a long abandoned past.
Inspired by Japanese folklore, the dreams transform into nightmares, where fantastical creatures emerge from the mists of the forests to frighten us. Spirits and gods come to life and we get swept under the currents of these lurid images. Caught in the riptide, it can be easy to get carried out to the turbulent sea and be overwhelmed by these surreal visions. But Ushiro wisely instructs us from the beginning that the best course of action is to succumb to the pressures of the waves and eventually if we let go of our panic and fear we will be guided home on a friendly tide.
Ushiro's wistful scenes often feature youthful anime-esc characters painted on the foreground of a sheet of plexi-glass, while the picturesque background is mounted on the reverse side to create the illusion of three- dimensional depth. Each piece has an ethereal quality to it, as though we might be walking through a watercolor dream, a photo-snapshot of the moment before we wake-up. An aura of light baths these quaint apparitions, blinding us with the glow of the fondest, well preserved memories.
As dreams habitually move from light to dark, Ushiro's recollections delve far bellow the surface of a tender remembrance of things past, and many of the images touch upon childish fears and fascinations with the shadowy unknown.
Inspired by Japanese folklore, the dreams transform into nightmares, where fantastical creatures emerge from the mists of the forests to frighten us. Spirits and gods come to life and we get swept under the currents of these lurid images. Caught in the riptide, it can be easy to get carried out to the turbulent sea and be overwhelmed by these surreal visions. But Ushiro wisely instructs us from the beginning that the best course of action is to succumb to the pressures of the waves and eventually if we let go of our panic and fear we will be guided home on a friendly tide. 
