NYAB Event - Kotaro Fukui "Silent Flowers and Ostriches"

Kotaro Fukui "Silent Flowers and Ostriches"

The Chelsea Art Museum

This event has ended.

An extraordinary 24 ft. long “Silent Flower” painting was transported from Tokyo to blanket the walls of the Chelsea Art Museum. Kotaro Fukui is a Japanese artist who created this masterwork by applying gold foil to washi, a handmade Japanese paper, employing brush ink to create stems and leaves, and then superimposing blue lapis lazuli pigment on the result. The precious blue stone powder is simultaneously subtle in application but powerful in affect.
Traditionally in East Asia, the iris has been a talisman against evil. An iris painted on a soldier’s armor was said to protect him from enemies. Irises have also symbolized longevity because they stand straight reaching towards the sky and the blue of the petals recalls the blue of sky and sea – in addition to the photographs of Earth from space. Fukui’s fascination with irises reflects his concerns with nature and the role of humans in nature.
Kotaro Fukui’s work mainly focuses on ostriches, irises, and recently peonies. His work addresses themes of nature, body, and Eastern spirituality. He paints ostriches on Washi paper, canvas, kimonos, obis, ostrich eggs, and even on the human body and motor vehicles. He also makes murals; he has painted the inside of a curved tunnel a long line of ostriches walking, running, and gazing intently at the viewer. His improvisational performances are inextricable linked to the concepts of Zen philosophy. When he stands on the paper holding the ink, and randomly drops the first gobs of ink. The form to come and where the lines will go are unknown. He often says before the action” I am nervous, because, I don’t know what the painting will eventually look like.” During the action, we can only hear the heavy inhalation and exhalation of his breath along with the rhythm of the music; then we will find the artist himself transformed into an ostrich - he darts about like a bird and his movement draws the lines that form the painting. It takes not more than half hour, and the audience invariably enjoys the stunning performance art. There will be performances on March 6 at 4pm.