Kailua Village Artists Gallery will feature origami designer and sculptor Shannon Nakaya throughout the month of July. While origami is more commonly thought of as craft rather than art, Nakaya takes paper folding to an entirely new level with seven foot dragons and toothy sharks, amongst other fantastical creations, all of her own design.
Nakaya is yonsei, or a fourth generation descendant of Japanese great-grandparents who migrated to Hawaii between 1890 and 1915. While she’s dabbled in origami during different times of her life, it never really grabbed her until she discovered “extreme” origami with hundreds of steps and impressively detailed figures. When she couldn’t find instructions for what she could visualize and wanted to fold, she transitioned to designing and sculpting and creating her own signature style. That was around 2016 and she has not looked back.
Nakaya will be working at the gallery on Fridays, July 1, July 8, and July 22. The gallery is located in the Kona Marketplace and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call (808) 329-6653 or visit kailuavillageartists.com.