Hiroko Ohno – iJaponesque

Continuing to draw the breath of life of the earth and universe on a magnificent scale

Artist Statement
Beginning from a question about why the earth rotates, I am exploring the fundamental structure of space. I produce paintings, experimental installations, and sculptures that transform the collision that occurs from science’s encounters with art. Using minerals that hold the earth’s history, I create paintings with settings of deserts and ruins intended to inspire environmental awareness. I have recently developed an interest in the philosophy of Graham Harman, whose thinking reminisces on the Eastern way of thinking that all things existing in space, including humans, have equal value.

My artwork is derived from by a simple question: Where is our human being coming from? How did the universe originate? This simple question has been inspiring many philosophers and artists.

My work explores how we are related to space-time. In my work, I investigate the sense of anti-gravity, disorientation, and weightlessness and I want to visualize gravity like flying through space.

In my large-scale painting, I contemplate the warping of space/time around massive objects, appearing on my works as geometrical schemes. At the same time, these works are familiar and delay cognitive recognition. To accomplish this and convey the power of nature, I paint on- site large-scale painting in natural wonders from Sahara to Machu Picchu. In addition, I expanded my work to express my ideas in sculptural form. I work with pigments, acrylic, canvas, mirrors, and metals to achieve complex hues and textures that evoke light traveling from millions of miles away.

“Looking back on Ohno’s career, the artist has always related deeply with the times, exploring all the possibilities of her theme, style of expression, and the materials of her Japanese painting, while continuing to create energetically in search of her art. Through her respect for life and nature, derived from her inner universe, her interest extended to the earth, galaxy, as she has returned to nature in her surroundings. In her works, is a determination to express her own existence as a human (artist) living on this planet.” – Akio Tanaka; Chief Curator, Homma Museum of Art

Galaxy

2012

Material: Pigment and acrylic on paper mounted on wood panel
Size: 24″ x 29″

Galaxy Around Us

2017

Material: Japanese Iwaenogu・岩絵具 [いわえのぐ] natural mineral pigments and acrylic on canvas board, wire, magnets.

Size: 33” H x 30” W x 19” D

“I painted two paintings on 18”x23” canvas board, and each painting was cut into 12 equal sections. The sections were put together back to back with magnets, and they are hung and displayed as a floating installation. I displayed the full painting’s print behind the floating paintings.

I am exploring the formation of the world and the universe. Recently, my paintings have developed into three-dimensional works in sculpture and installation works to depict space and time more clearly. I have gained my experiences from painting.

I painted the original as a 76″ x 96″ painting on site in 2010. And I made a smaller one. I don’t use photography. When I paint, I always paint on site as I observe objects. These floating paintings represent time-space and anti-gravity. My painting work thus far give me the impetus for the idea to create an installation and gave me the artistic ability I needed to realize this concept.”

Stars

2008

Material: Pigment (Japanese Iwaenogu) and old ink on paper mounted on wood panel

Size: 24″ x 29”

Sold

Untitled

2016

Material: Steel and paint

Size: 17″ W x 15″ H x 9″ D

“I was conscious of the sculpture achieved by a painter. I made it by folding a flat steel plate. As a substance, it has no chunks. I attempted to transform the space that connected to different dimensions through the space that was open geometrically and through the power of the space that was created in the solid by the flat steel plate.”