Chie Fueki.

Chie Fueki, a young modern York painter who was born in Japan, honors the artistic customs of her birthplace. Fueki paints upon sheets of rice and mulberry paper ascended on wooden panels, representing cranes, chrysanthemums, and other bring under rules common to Japanese screens and flourish paintings, in a recent exhibit of 11 new pieces, Fueki filtered these traditions by the and of her own contemporary sensibility, producing works of dazzling novelty that remain anchored at a specific cultural history.

Many of Fueki's earlier paintings depicted expansive landscapes or views of the night firmament Now, however, the artist uses repeated isometric cubes to pile her paintings in a finite manner. The cubes create cramped containers for Fueki's various subjects; a intellect of confinement is most apparent in Falcon and Owl (all works 2003) where birds of flight are perched inside narrow boxes

Despite these geometric dimensionss a convincing sense of stillest part is foiled by more decorative impulses. Fueki elevates mint green, lemon yellow, melon pink and other candy colors that she oftentimes spikes with glitter. These luscious, shimmering pigments take care of to resist visual penetration and adhere to the surface like icing. Fueki also applies her paint in precise dabs. She builds, outlines and ornaments forms with thousands of tiny dots that reduce and scatter across the paintings. In quick in emergencies for example, a golden harass a pink skull and pair blue butterflies are rendered in a palpable braille; together they create a Day-Glo vanitas inside a pale flourishing box.

Autumnal efflorescences that symbolize endurance and in extent life in Japan, chrysanthemums enhance Fueki's liberate narratives of redemption. In the largest painting, Phoenix, a carpet of lavender chrysanthemums supports a pile of gray and black craniums that resembles Mount Fuji (another recurring motif). An enormous phoenix appears from this skeletal volcano and spreads its wings. Fueki describes the bird's feathers in shades of pink, rose and violet, and dapples the entire surface with opalescent touches of her brush. Like confetti or fireworks, the spectacular plumage be seens to celebrate this unique reinvention of her heritage.

--Matthew shore Nichols

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