Fumiyo Yoshikawa: Contemplations in Ink

Fumiyo Yoshikawa’s paintings—demonstrating both a restraint and liberation of the brush— maintain a quiet emptiness balanced by bold strokes, washes, and layers of ink. Yoshikawa’s work revisits both the philosophical and formal elements of Chinese and Japanese traditional sumi-e painting.  Recalling the contemplative resonances of the centuries old tradition, these paintings are a physical manifestation of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddist concepts of nature, vitality, and the ephemeral quality of existence. Some works reference calligraphic strokes, while other forms are more abstract, both of which serve as thoughtful meditations on unity, balance, and space.

While in dialogue with a long-standing tradition, Yoshikawa’s work also offers an internal dialogue with the self, as her larger abstractions explore the dream-like landscape of her subconscious. Repetitive patterning and concentric circles echo a universal memory or consciousness, reinforced by Yoshikawa’s previous studies in parallel patterns and symbols drawn from ancient Central American and Japanese art. Yoshikawa’s paintings in this exhibit are an expressionist expansion of elemental forms, revitalizing and contemporizing a practice dating back to the 7th century.

Join us Tuesday, February 18 at 6:00PM for an exhibition walkthrough with the curator, and a conversation with artist, Fumiyo Yoshikawa.