Untitled
Artist
Keith Aoki
(American, B.F.A. Wayne State University., 1955 - 2011)
Date1980
MediumPaint on paper
DimensionsPaper Size: 6 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. (17.5 × 21.6 cm)
Frame Size: 10 1/2 × 12 in. (26.7 × 30.5 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of Melanie McKinzie, 2016
Object numberUAC6469
DescriptionKeith Aoki, an alumnus of Wayne State University's bachelor of fine arts program, was an individual known for his exceptional kindness and innovative abilities. After receiving his B.F.A, Aoki went on to pursue an M.A. of Fine Arts at Hunter College in New York City, and then received his J.D. (Juris Doctor Degree) from Harvard Law School and his LL.M (Master of Laws) from the University of Wisconsin's Law School.A well respected scholar and instructor, Aoki channeled his knowledge of law into his artistic practice by making comic books. One of his most famous works, Bound by Law, created by Keith Aoki, Jennifer Jenkins, and James Boyle, was a comic book that thoroughly illustrated the in's and out's of our copyright laws. Aoki's friend James Perry Barlow once put it, "To be a scholar of a subject, a great one, but also to be able to draw comic books at the same time? There was no one remotely like him. It was as if Feynman had produced comics about quantum physics". Aoki used his artistic ability as a channel to communicate about Law practices in a new, accessible way. It has changed the way that many people relate and understand law, considering that over 500,000 people have downloaded and purchased this book alone.
Aoki's work 'Untitled', a colorful piece crafted with an automotive paint-pen on paper is a part of our collection at Wayne State University. Made in 1980 before he graduated with his M.A. of Fine Arts, this work came long before his prestigious law career, and comic books. Within the small 7 x 8.5 in painting is a colorful, diagonal pattern that visually weaves green, purple, yellow, blue and silver together in a way that feels like an actual tapestry or a collage.
Sadly, Aoki passed away from cancer in 2011 at the age of 55. Much has been written about the artistic, intellectual, and interpersonal legacy that Keith Aoki has left our world. He was said to be a kind, unpretentious, generous man with an incredible heart. Additionally, when you look at his contribution within academia as well as the arts, you see the work of an intelligent, insightful innovator. In a certain way, the work 'Untitled' shows a bridge between these two sides of the artist's character visually, through the use of color and pattern. In this piece, Aoki has taken many different formal elements of art, such as color, texture, and pattern, and put them together in a way that is harmonious and rhythmic.
Text by Emily Lane Borden
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