Kelly Sueda
This art consultant’s creative pursuits bring world-class works to the islands.
On a warm Friday in July 2016, Kelly Sueda and a team of skilled professionals descend upon Ala Moana Center under the cover of night, after the last of the day’s shoppers have finally left. They are there about a pumpkin—a 6-foot-tall spotted gourd created by Yayoi Kusama, the voyeuristic artist who has built a cult following around her work, which incorporates polka dots on everything from Louis Vuitton handbags to human bodies. They need to work swiftly to install the 1,300-pound bronze sculpture, getting in and out before thousands of mall-goers return to walk the wings of the world’s largest outdoor mall.
The Kusama pumpkin is the first permanent installation by the Japanese artist in Hawai‘i, and if Sueda has his way, it will only be the beginning of such sights. As an arts consultant, Sueda transports works by the world’s top artists to the islands to adorn walls of residences and commercial spaces. “Art can really make a space,” Sueda says. “A place with white walls and high ceilings can feel very naked. A [homeowner or developer] might not realize something is missing until you slap something awesome on the wall.”
For his current project at Park Lane, the multimillion-dollar residences meant to be an “art walk” between Ala Moana Beach Park and Ala Moana Center, approximately 350 original works in various types of media will be displayed in its halls. Artists featured include Richard Serra, the minimalist sculptor who changed the face of public art with his piece “Titled Arc” at the Federal Plaza in New York, and Takashi Murakami, considered Japan’s Andy Warhol for his “superflat,” animated depictions that smudge the line between high and low art. Creations by such international artists will reside alongside others by local talents like sculptor Deborah Butterfield and abstract expressionist painter Tadashi Sato. “It shows the caliber of artwork locally can stand up next to a world-class piece of art, where the artist is selling paintings for $10 million,” Sueda says.
A painter himself, as well as a trustee for the Honolulu Museum of Art, Sueda has a mind to get people excited about art, whether it’s in public or private spheres. He points to the wavy Tony Cragg sculpture displayed in the window of the Park Lane showroom. “Did you see the face?” he remarks excitedly of the hidden profile found within the steel sculpture. “You don’t have to be an art historian or necessarily have to understand [the artwork]. … But once someone tells you a story about it and the concept behind it, all of a sudden there’s a complete paradigm shift.” A pumpkin set unexpectedly in a mall pond, for example, can transform into something truly magical.
Kelly Sueda
This art consultant’s creative pursuits bring world-class works to the islands.
On a warm Friday in July 2016, Kelly Sueda and a team of skilled professionals descend upon Ala Moana Center under the cover of night, after the last of the day’s shoppers have finally left. They are there about a pumpkin—a 6-foot-tall spotted gourd created by Yayoi Kusama, the voyeuristic artist who has built a cult following around her work, which incorporates polka dots on everything from Louis Vuitton handbags to human bodies. They need to work swiftly to install the 1,300-pound bronze sculpture, getting in and out before thousands of mall-goers return to walk the wings of the world’s largest outdoor mall.
The Kusama pumpkin is the first permanent installation by the Japanese artist in Hawai‘i, and if Sueda has his way, it will only be the beginning of such sights. As an arts consultant, Sueda transports works by the world’s top artists to the islands to adorn walls of residences and commercial spaces. “Art can really make a space,” Sueda says. “A place with white walls and high ceilings can feel very naked. A [homeowner or developer] might not realize something is missing until you slap something awesome on the wall.”
For his current project at Park Lane, the multimillion-dollar residences meant to be an “art walk” between Ala Moana Beach Park and Ala Moana Center, approximately 350 original works in various types of media will be displayed in its halls. Artists featured include Richard Serra, the minimalist sculptor who changed the face of public art with his piece “Titled Arc” at the Federal Plaza in New York, and Takashi Murakami, considered Japan’s Andy Warhol for his “superflat,” animated depictions that smudge the line between high and low art. Creations by such international artists will reside alongside others by local talents like sculptor Deborah Butterfield and abstract expressionist painter Tadashi Sato. “It shows the caliber of artwork locally can stand up next to a world-class piece of art, where the artist is selling paintings for $10 million,” Sueda says.
A painter himself, as well as a trustee for the Honolulu Museum of Art, Sueda has a mind to get people excited about art, whether it’s in public or private spheres. He points to the wavy Tony Cragg sculpture displayed in the window of the Park Lane showroom. “Did you see the face?” he remarks excitedly of the hidden profile found within the steel sculpture. “You don’t have to be an art historian or necessarily have to understand [the artwork]. … But once someone tells you a story about it and the concept behind it, all of a sudden there’s a complete paradigm shift.” A pumpkin set unexpectedly in a mall pond, for example, can transform into something truly magical.
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