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 chiho aoshima
Surreal Japanese graphics at the Baltic. There’s something overwhelming about Chiho Aoshima’s work. Her giant surreal fantasyscapes hit the viewer with a fluid, saccharine, manga pop. Death and cute imagery sit side by side. In this show, tower blocks are transformed into swaying forms like anemones in an odd garden. Mummified and bloody girls swim in a fractal swirl of psychedelic colours. Vampiric women flow out of forests with unreal dayglo tendrils. One of the real draws is the multi-screen animated film installation at the back of the floor. Here her work begins to literally sway. Buildings are given sirens’ faces and placed in an almost too lush tropicalia landscape. Chiho was originally part of Takashi Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki group of fledgling artists, and you can see the same play between traditional Japanese flatness and the hyperpop of contemporary Japan. At the same time, Aoshima’s work is a perfect accompaniment to the current large Spank The Monkey show at the Baltic. Both have a touch of youth culture style over substance. Yet both are too visually arresting to be ignored. Chiho Aoshima is at the Baltic, Gateshead, until 28 Jannuary 07.
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comment by cityglow
Mar 14, 2008
i particularly enjoy the room installations - theyre like surreal worlds beautiful and shocking at the same time. I have a few prints of hers in my flat.. m constantly noticing subtle details. Theres a nice gallery at chihoaoshima.com
comment by art pilgrim
Dec 29, 2006
Her work, overall, is challenging to qualify, judge etc. in the landscape of contemporary art, but her work "The Divine Gas" in the lobby of the new ICA, Boston building is phenomenal. The longer you look at it, the more you see and understand what she's doing.
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