"She was rumored to have a certain witch-like presence," Takashi Murakami said when recalling his first encounters with Chiho Aoshima. Legendary artist Murakami, most recognized for his colorful flower motif, discovered humble Chiho Aoshima in the early 2000s. This was a relationship that would eventually catapult Aoshima to the forefront of the Japanese contemporary art movement. Recently I've been obsessed with Aoshima- her female avatars, placed into otherwordly scenes, simply elevate my soul.
"My work wasn't very refined at that point but when Murakami asked me to participate in a group exhibition featuring only female artists, I took the chance and accepted," Aoshima's early days of artistry were difficult to navigate. Her parents discovered her drawings of erotica as a teenager, causing her to stop creating and pursue a degree in economics. Intense, right?
"I entered university not knowing what I really wanted to do and didn't focus much on my studies," Aoshima said.
It can be difficult to pursue passion in a world that is profit-based... as I start to consider my college path, Art School has been completely removed from the equation. It's comforting to know that Chiho didn't have it figured out either.
I've been reading a book on Yokai folklore, and was not surprised to learn that Chiho's characters are kawaii renditions of Japanese supernatural beings. Her two prominent artistic inspirations: the unseen and nature.
"I have a strong wish to be close or meld with nature... I have something close to a longing that once I die, I will gradually melt and be one with nature," Aoshima said. I love it, I just love it. She has captured how humans interact with nature, on a level that can be both vulnerable and narrative.
Divine gas is epic! Glorious peditos!
❤KITTY