Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is pleased to present:

Halcyon / Kawasemi

An exhibition by Takashi Iwasaki and Joseph Kalturnyk

May 30 – July 26,2025

Opening reception May 30 at 8PM

Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is elated to announce Halcyon / Kawasemi an exhibition of artist Takashi Iwasaki and installation with artist/designer Joseph Kalturnyk.  

The work of Takashi Iwasaki is vibrant, playful and alluring, but there is also a foreboding lying underneath the surface. Halcyon is an exhibition of work that celebrates joy and whimsy – a rapturous sense of play. Halcyon refers to the ancient Greek Myth of Alkyone and Ceyx, which heralds the story of enduring love and is symbolized by a beautifully coloured bird. It’s commonly known as a calm after a storm. Iwasaki lures us into a lush tapestry of colour and form.

Kawasemi is a joint installation with Takashi Iwasaki and Joseph Kalturnyk. The duo have been collaborating for years on interactive kinetic pieces, each with their own hallucinogenic qualities. This installation at Plug In ICA is a reinterpretation of a Japanese folk tale about a Kawasemi (or Kingfisher) bird and its search for light.

Click here to read a review of the exhibition by Derek Brueckner. 

Takashi Iwasaki
Born in Japan in 1982, Iwasaki has called Winnipeg home since 2002. His multidisciplinary practice spans painting, embroidery, woodworking, ceramics, and large-scale public art. He focuses on creating immersive environments that blend these media, allowing each piece to tell its own story while forming a cohesive experience. At the heart of his work is a desire to capture and share moments of joy.

Joseph K. Kalturnyk
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kalturnyk is a cross-disciplinary artist, formally trained as an architect and a builder.

Kalturnyk’s practice spans curation, installation art, project management and design. Kalturnyk focuses on projects that engage communities and open up dialogue between art and architecture, the body and the city, the individual and the collective.

Acknowledgments

We are on Treaty 1 Territory. Plug In ICA is located on the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the National homeland of the Red River Métis. Our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. 

Plug In ICA extends our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors, valued members, and dedicated volunteers. We acknowledge the sustaining support of our Director’s Circle. You all make a difference.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council. We could not operate without their continued financial investment and lobbying efforts.

Plug In ICA relies on community support to remain free and accessible to all, and enable us to continue to present excellent programs. Please consider becoming a member of Plug In ICA and a donor at https://plugin.org/support or by contacting Gilles Hébert, Interim Executive Director at executivedirector@plugin.org.

For more information on public programming and exhibitions contact info@plugin.org.

For general information, please contact: info@plugin.org or call 1.204.942.1043