B.

These are works by James S. Koga a Hawaiian born artist currently teaching printmaking at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and included in prestigious international print exhibitions. Christchurch last saw his works In the 1978 Christchurch Arts Festival International Exhibition of Drawings.

The Year of the Rat or Jahre Der Ratte is the tale by the old sage S. James translated from the original old Schwabisch text and illustrated with the wry humour and cutting satire of the artist. It is a tale or ribaldry in the Year of the Rat when Schwärza Peterle having maliciously killed the rat Tunni is brought to justice by the rat pack and finally sentenced by Schwärza Peterle to the dungeon at Aspergle.

Powerful imagery and a masterly control of the printing mediums, make this a particularly powerful suite of images. Concurrent with the exhibition at the McDougall Barry Cleavin has arranged a display of other works by James Koga at the School of Fine Arts, Ilam.

('The Year of the Rat', Bulletin, No.35, September/October 1984, p.2)