Chihiro Ito
Vegetables in Isolation

May 27 - June 18, 2022

Painting

Artist Statement

"As a new immigrant to America, I felt disoriented by the new things around me. In my local NYC market, I found many little weak vegetables I was not familiar with. I would bring them home and draw them and then eat them and it gave me a strange comfort. I wanted my paintings to honor the radical energy that vegetables generously give to humans. The black lines on the gold background I often use references Japanese lacquer technique "Maki-e". The idea is to elevate the beauty of something ordinary by showing its extraordinary purpose in giving us HEALTH and POWER."

About the Artist

Chihiro ITO is a painter and multimedia artist. He was born in Tokyo where studied painting at Musashino Art University, also He took a continuing education writing course at the School of Visual Arts. He was an invited artist at European Capital of Culture events in Portugal, Cyprus and Serbia. In 2018 he received a grant from the Japanese government to come to the US where he began documenting the remaining living artists associated with Fluxus. He is the recipient of a Holbein award (2017), NYFA grant (2021), Robert Rauschenberg Foundation grant (2021), Monira Foundation and Mana Contemporary Art(2022). In his art he looks for the poetry opportunity in ordinary objects and everyday experiences to connect people across geo-political boundaries. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Website: chihiroito.com