CHIE FUEKI
On 24 March 2011, Mary Boone Gallery will open at its Fifth Avenue location an exhibition of new paintings by CHIE FUEKI.
For this new group of paintings, Chie Fueki uses likenesses of her friends as a vehicle for constructing imagined, anthropomorphized space. Although the works operate as representational, nearly life-size full-body portraits, their configuration is derived not from observation, but from geometric exercise: perspectives fluctuate; volumes collapse, stretch and fold; and matter is agitated into planes of pattern and color that re-align into cohesive images.
Elements of Fueki’s multi-cultural background are evident in her distinctive technique. From her native Japan, she adopts the traditional materials of ink wash and mulberry paper ground. One also detects the pervasive spirituality of Shinto, flattened space of Ukiyo-e, or even the metamorphosizing folds of origami. Bright color and intricately patterned surfaces are prompted by her upbringing in Brazil, where folk arts similarly celebrate with flamboyance the unremarkable activities of daily life.
The exhibition, at 745 Fifth Avenue, will continue through 30 April 2011. For further information, please contact Ron Warren at the Gallery, or visit our website www.maryboonegallery.com.
