Tempering Color - The Meditations of an Oil Painter (2026)

Tempering Color is an intimate documentary portrait of Tokyo-born artist Maya Hirasawa Brauer (they/them), tracing their spiritual and creative rebirth through the eyes of filmmaker Ryusei Iizuka Rivas (they/them). Shot across New England and Tokyo, the film weaves archival family videos with close, observational studio footage. With rare access as Maya’s spouse, Iizuka Rivas reveals how the death of Maya’s grandmother inspired The Ten Realms, an exhibition that transforms Buddhist ideas about grief, devotion, and the ever-changing human experience into atmospheric oil paintings.