Somewhere Nowhere: Child II
I first met Ayakoh Furukawa in her studio at an “Open Studio” event in Long Island city a couple of weeks ago.The paintings are whimsical , graphic ,with bold color layered with a dark, subject matters . My kind of girl!
Her recent series are Asian girls from the 19th Century, who appear quote sweet and innocent, but if you get up close, you will notice a subtle aloofness about them. Not so sweet and innocent anymore. This intrigued me enough to asked some questions to Ayakoh about her work:
LC:I love the characters you’ve created in you work.
As you told me, girls in these paintings are precious and beautiful but also cruel and bitter. I think that’s a really clever juxtaposition and metaphor!
Why did you want to portray this? Was this based on some personal experiences?
AF:I tried to paint innocent children with happy paper wall print but you see them bitter. My childhood was very hard in many ways. I intend to portray something innocent.
However the truth is there is not innocent childhood and such. We all experience bitter and sweet memories in our childhood. Childhood is really vulnerable. You see that aspect in my works.
LC:Looking at your other work-“Text Drawing” in particular- this seems to be a continuous theme in your work. Am I correct?
AF: Yes. I tried to incorporate text in my work since 2003. My first works were very conceptual and did not communicate with viewers well. I have started current style from 2005. First I made portraits of girls in a word or a sentence like FAT, I am lonely, etc. They were like the girls personal inner voice. Theme is getting bigger and deeper. I am drawing long-necked women in Burma with Opera Winfrey’s quotation. I constantly evoke women’s issues.
LC: Please tell me about your process.
I am dying to know how you come up with such crafty themes in your work.
I felt squeamish, yet, intrigued when I saw your “100 Ways to Torture the Innocent (Part of My and Your Mind)”.
AF: “100 Ways to Torture the Innocent(Part of My and Your Mind)” was completed for Making a Home: 33 Japanese Artist Living in New York Exhibition at Japan Society in 2007. I had a female hamster, Wachacha but she died while I was returning to Japan. I really loved her. She comforted my lonely life in New York. I missed her and started making drawings for myself to ease my remorse. One time Eric Shiner came to my studio and got interested in drawings. At that time I has only 7 or 8 drawings. I told him that I planed to make 100 like old Chinese scroll paintings. One hundred means ‘plenty’ in eastern culture. He encouraged me greatly to do so.
It took a year to complete 100. I put the date on the drawing that I made.I never abused my hamster. Hamster became me and you. Hamster’s life is very fragile so as our minds. As I draw hamsters , I found that my mind is the one that has been tormented not just by the death of my hamster but also everyday life, childhood trauma and loss of loved ones.
When I showed them, lots of people immediately got connected with my hamster drawings.
LC: In your latest work, you’ve incorporated European textile patterns in your backgrounds.
Is there a connection between the subject matter (girls) and your textile background?
AF:I wanted to make something unintentional so I made these Victorian children with textile patterns. I am attracted to these patterns and want to know what kind of conversation that I can create. These paintings were made as counter works to text drawings.
LC: What are you working on now? Any upcoming shows we should know about?
AF: I enjoy taking photographs now. These are experimental yet I plan to show them in September.
To view more of Ayakoh Furukawa‘s work, please visit:
www.AyakohFurukawa.net
