Chiho Aoshima

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Girls tied to or hanging from trees, luxuriant vegetation, iridescent colours – Chiho Aoshima’s universe is one of contrasts between dreams and nightmares, terror and seduction. The third exhibition in the “Kawaii! Japan today” cycle, dedicated to young contemporary Japanese artists, shows the work of one of the most promising artists of her generation.

Chiho Aoshima is a tall, silent, mysterious person who likes to amble around ruins, abandoned buildings and cemeteries. Born in Tokyo in 1974, after finishing school she decided to visit Angkor, a place that had fascinated her for many years and that is still a source of inspiration for to her. On return to Japan, she studied economics, but after graduating she abandoned this career path and turned to art. Rather than canvases and tubes of paint, she uses printing techniques and the computer screen to create works in acid colours executed with an impressive precision, which take the viewer into to an astonishing dream world. Takashi Murakami soon discovered this young artist with a flair for computer-aided design, who is unrivalled when it comes to moving vectors. He engaged her as an assistant and gave her the job of transferring ring all his preliminary sketches to the computer in order to create the works before putting them on canvas. Today, Chiho Aoshima still forms part of the team at Kaikai Kiki Corporation, Murakami’s “workshop-company”. Parallel to this she developed her own highly individual work that has opened the doors to the leading galleries and art museums in Europe and the United States and has led to important commissions, such as those for the New York Subway (2005) and the London Underground (2006).