Carlos Runcie-Tanaka
Carlos Runcie-Tanaka The Passion and Pulse of Clay Article by Jan Garden Castro t 52, carlos runcie-tanaka has survived a crabs lifting his body and carrying it somehow near-drowning, a heart attack and two revived (and saved) the artist. Crabs also symbolise following surgeries. Eighteen years ago, the meeting point of two territories: water and ARuncie-Tanaka met James Turrell in his studio land. The crabs are versatile, land/water creatures in Flagstaff, Arizona. Turrell advised the young with mythic personas, such as carrying other lives artist, “Peru will be a difficult scenario for your on their backs. In 2011, the huge ICPNA catalogue work, you should think about moving to the US documents both the artist’s exhibition and his major . ” Yet his homeland of Peru has sent him to work to date. represent his country at art biennials in Venice, Sao The next museum waiting for a show was the Paulo, Havana, Caracas, Lima and Cuenca. Runcie- Station Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston. Tanaka’s art is, aesthetically, in the highest ranks. James Harithas, its director, met the artist in 1991 A trifecta of events suggests that Runcie-Tanaka’s at the fourth Havana Biennial; since then, he has art is valued. Since the heart attack in 2007, he been one of Runcie-Tanaka’s mentors. The central has had museums waiting in line. In 2008, ICPNA installation for the exhibition, titled Fragmento, (Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano/the was Tiempo Detenido, (Standstill or Arrested Time). Peruvian North American Cultural Institute), one of Among the 30 pieces in this installation, one Peru’s leading cultural centres in Lima, gave him a figure reclining on a bed of red crystal marbles large solo show featuring his glass crabs along with has a broken chest with the marbles rising out of an endless path of white paper and clay figures it.
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