Terminal 1 

One Hundred Aspects of the Moon is a series of aerial photographs that speak the literal and figurative state of being “up in the air.” This series consists of images made on the artist’s journeys, taken from airplane windows as she traveled between coasts, always originating from and returning to LAX. In a figurative sense, the camera resists landing while being between topographies.

The work on exhibit includes unaltered unique photographic prints with graphite and ink on rag paper, reminiscent of charcoal drawings, and large-scale “moons” on aluminum. The title has been respectfully borrowed from Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's "moon" series, a group of master woodblock prints made in the late 19th century. Whereas Yoshitoshi's series illustrates intense human encounters, Niku’s work uses the allusion to the moon as a drishti, or a focal point in Sanskrit, which seeks to find a path through the in-between to shift our perception of distance between people and place. Travelers share a communal moment in the sky, shifting between one destination and another, looking down upon a shared home. Niku Kashef is an artist, educator and independent curator. Her work explores geography, biography and place as a physical location, our perceived relationship to it and how this experience is shaped. Social issues addressed in Niku’s work include identity, scientific inquiry, collective memory, motherhood and home. Her work is in the collections of national and international venues including the Monterey Museum of Art, The Museum of Arts & Crafts-ITAMI (Japan) and the Yucun Museum of Art (China). Niku lives and works in Los Angeles and is a Lecturer of Art at California State University, Northridge and Participating Adjunct at Woodbury University.