Jacob Hashimoto: The Fractured Giant

January 21, 2023 – January 21, 2024

The Fractured Giant is a site-specific installation by Jacob Hashimoto in BAM’s Sculpture Court and marks his first solo museum exhibition in Idaho.  Combining traditional kite- and pattern-making techniques, printmaking, and collage into a sculptural environment, the artist has created an immersive installation with thousands of thin, hand-made papers.  Building and layering his materials within the architecture of the space, the artist composes a visually stunning landscape made completely by hand.

Jacob Hashimoto was born in Greeley, Colorado in 1973 and grew up in Walla Walla, Washington.  He is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  He lives and works in Ossining, New York.  Hashimoto’s artworks have been featured in museum exhibitions internationally, including at MOCA Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art (MACRO) in Rome, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in California, Aaltonen Museum of Art in Finland, and the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Texas.

This installation is complemented by the exhibition Jacob Hashimoto: Fractured Giants, which features drawings, prints, and paper sculptures by the artist.

Organized by the Boise Art Museum

Sponsored by Bev and George Harad

The installation of The Fractured Giant at the Boise Art Museum spanned three weeks. The artist and his team hand-tied thousands of kites for this site-specific installation at BAM.

Watch an 8-minute timelapse of the three-week installation process here:

Courtesy of the artist.
Photo by Derek Zeitel.

… I think video games are hugely important. The art world tends to like to take itself really seriously in terms of its cultural importance, and you know, granted, historically … it’s been pretty important, but I think if you eliminate video games from that discussion you’ve got a very skewed view of what people value, what’s interesting, what’s beautiful.
– Jacob Hashimoto

Minecraft

Jacob Hashimoto finds inspiration in video games, including the popular video game Minecraft. Everything in the world of Minecraft is made up of digital cubes or blocks. The small blocks combine to represent people, structures, large landscapes, and – when the users play the game in creative mode – anything you can imagine.

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This Minecraft Forest is created using thousands of blocks
in various colors and patterns.

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A single Minecraft block.

The modular element of Minecraft inspires Hashimoto when he develops his installation artworks. Like Minecraft, Jacob Hashimoto’s installations are constructed using thousands of tiny pieces – in his case, rice paper and bamboo kites. The overall effect is a pixelated form floating above the viewer.

Article | History of Kites »

Artist Website | jacobhashimoto.com »

Books

PreK-3 | Kite Flying by Grace Lin

PreK-3 | The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen and Ed Young

K-3 | My Kite is Stuck! and Other Stories by Salina Yoon

All Ages | Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them by Margaret Greger

Create an Isometric Artwork

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Create your own artwork 
inspired by Jacob Hashimoto

Printable Activity Sheet-2

Other hands-on projects:

Grades K+ | KiwiCo DIY Kit: Fun with Flight » (Create your own kite and rocket)

Grades 5+ | Create and Decorate your own Kite »

Play

Try a Minecraft Free Trial for various devices

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