Chalice Mitchell Exhibition
I visited the solo exhibition of Chalice Mitchell, an American woman artist based in Amakusa. The venue is Art Lab Tokyo in Asakusabashi.
This is apparently her second exhibition at Art Lab Tokyo.
Seen from outside, the works center on the male nude, which is a little startling.
Immanence
Artist statement by Chalice Mitchell
After living in Amakusa for four years, I have continued to think about how the landscape influences my work. My experience as an American living in Japan has shaped my choice of color and my sense of spatial balance in painting. I move back and forth between two cultures, creating a hybrid identity through socialization and introspection. There is a magic here where the mountains and the sea mingle together. It feels like a secret world, far removed from other countries. It is no wonder that Christians hid and flourished here.My father is a minister, so ever since I can remember, I have been surrounded by Christian imagery. Living in Amakusa, I encountered the history of Christianity again in a very different context. Now, within this religious tradition and at some distance from my own childhood, I can see it with a fresh sense of wonder. From this perspective, Christian imagery looks incredibly erotic. The image of Saint Sebastian in particular tends to overturn the notorious paradigm of the “male gaze.” The Japanese author Yukio Mishima was especially inspired by Guido Reni’s depiction of the saint. Yet Christ is the central figure of sensual imagery. As a woman artist, this is a reversal of power that not only turns the male gaze upside down but also transforms the sacred and earthly hierarchies.
Rooted in the history of Western art, I have been strongly influenced by Japanese ink painting. Opposing elements are literally woven together in order to convey the philosophy of Zen. This can be seen in the relationship between emptiness and total space: figure and ground, cloud and mountain, ink and paper, body and mind. I leave the image visually unfinished, creating connections between opposing elements both visually and philosophically, dissolving them into a colorless field. The flesh is immersed in a spiritual force brimming with immanence.
Artist Bio
Chalice has exhibited both in Japan and abroad. Born in Massachusetts, she grew up in Maine, England, and Vermont. She has lived and worked in the United States, Canada, and Japan. She received her BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2003 and her MFA from the University of South Florida in 2013. She currently lives in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Chalice Mitchell is a woman artist in her thirties.
She lived in Amakusa for four years, but this time she is returning to her home country, the United States.
Landscape Paintings
She paints landscapes with an almost abstract feel.
On the innermost floor, a video conveyed the act of painting.
The brushwork was so powerful that I had been convinced the artist was a man, so I was surprised to hear the artist is a woman.
Since she will be leaving Japan, if you miss this show you may not get another chance to see her work for some time.
