Chiho Yoshikawa was born in Yamagata Prefecture in Japan in 1974. However, a multitude of life experiences has gone into shaping Yoshikawa's unique aesthetic. Although largely self-taught as a painter, she studied painting, pottery, sculpture and graphic design in high school, where she developed a particular fascination with the work of Picasso and other Western artists. In 1997 she had her first exhibition in Yamagata but left Japan the following year. She moved to Cork, Ireland and her second exhibition opened in Cork City shortly afterward. While in Cork, she studied fine art at St. John's Central College and, using the cities and landscapes of Ireland as her inspiration, she produced a large number of oil and watercolour paintings. Seeking further external stimulation, she relocated to France in 2001. She travelled extensively there to create landscapes of the coastal regions and numerous scenes of Paris and other cities. Following that was a move to New York in 2002, where she continued her work in city scenes and landscapes while working out of art studios in Manhattan and Long Island. In the year and a half that she was in New York she had five exhibitions. After leaving New York, she spent three years of further artistic development through trips back to Japan but also to Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Scandinavia, The Netherlands and most of Western Europe. In 2006 she arrived in Canada and began to paint largely in acrylic and has had four exhibitions of those works in Toronto. Chiho Yoshikawa is currently living and working in Toronto.
Artist Statement
" The display of light in a natural setting so captivates me that I often lose myself and become totally absorbed in the timeless space of its beauty. The world around me sometimes pushes my receptive mind to new limits and I find myself deep in thought, which creates emotional turmoil between the reality of the eye and the perception of the brain. But it is the feelings in my heart which blend with the bountiful beauty I see in nature and in that combination there is a truth which is reflected in harmony with shapes and colours. "
Selected Exhibitions
1997 Group show, General Fine Arts Exhibition, Yamagata, Japan
1998 Group exhibition, The City Library, Cork City, Ireland
2002 Solo exhibition, City Aspect 2002 - Dragon Gallery, Amagansett, NY
2003 Group exhibition, Outdoor Art Festival - Southampton, NY
2010 Group exhibition, Esprit d'ete - STUDIO VOGUE Gallery, Toronto
2010 Group exhibition, Christmas at Cedar Ridge - Cedar Ridge Gallery, Toronto
2012 Group exhibition, Abstraction in Visual Art - Ben Navaee Gallery, Toronto
2012 Group exhibition, Jane Mallett Gallery, Toronto
2012 Group exhibition, Pathway to Abstraction - Agora Gallery, New York, NY
Upcoming Events and Exhibits
"Limitless Expressions" Toronto 2013 International Art Exhibition Studio Vogue Gallery 6/4/2013-6/21/2013 Reception: 6/6/2013 (6-8 PM)
This is a collective exhibition organized by Vivid Arts Network in New York City in collaboration with Studio Vogue Gallery from Canada and ArtTour International Magazine.
From left;
Lake Louise, Acrylic on Canvas, 18" x 24"
Newtonbrook Creek, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 12"
Vermilion Lake, Acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 20"
Press Release
Japanese artist Chiho Yoshikawa's fascination with the display of light in certain settings and how it comes to define shape and form is reflected in her expressionistic acrylic paintings. Careful attention to pattern accentuates each image, with an emphasis on vibrant colors, bold brushstrokes and textural depth. Compositions are balanced, yet there is an innate sense of movement and freedom that pervades each piece. Influenced by such masters as Picasso, Henri Rousseau and Van Gogh, as well as many years spent living and traveling around the world, Yoshikawa's landscapes and cityscapes are a unique blend of Western Expressionism and Impressionism with Eastern artistic approaches. Equally, each piece strives to bridge the connection between the physical plane and the internal lens through which she, as an artist, experiences it. As Yoshikawa explains, "It is the feelings in my heart which blend with the bountiful beauty I see in nature, and in that combination there is a truth which is reflected in harmony with shapes and colors."
Chiho Yoshikawa currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
"The LIMITLESS EXPRESSIONS 2012 Exhibition had an incredible turn out with attendance of representatives of the office of the Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford who welcomed the artists and presented the Vivid Arts Network with a congratulatory plaque in honor of our first visit to Toronto on behalf of the City Council. We are coming back to the wonderful city of Toronto with excitement and an excellent selection of artists, this time with a juried exhibition where three artists will be awarded the "Toronto Excellence in the Arts Award 2013". A vast exchange of culture and artistic talent will be thriving within the space of the Studio Vogue Gallery at the center of the Art District of the Yorkville area in Toronto, Canada.
The exhibition's name lived up to its expectations, demonstrating that there truly is no limit to the channels through which one can express oneself through the gift of art: we reach out into infinity and through our artistic conceptions, we change and influence lives – and become infinite"-Vivid Arts Network
Vivid Arts Network
http://www.vividartsnetwork.net
http://www.arttourinternational.com
(+1) 917-289-1007 Ext: 107 (US)
(+39) 345-167-7704 (Europe)
601 West, 174th Street, New York, NY
Studio Vogue Gallery
http://www.studiovoguegallery.com
(+1) 416-459-9809
216 Avenue Road (just north of Davenport Rd)
Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2J4
Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 6pm
Upcoming Workshops
Other Web Pages that Chiho Yoshikawa Recommends you visit
(These pages are not necessarily about Chiho Yoshikawa)
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l.jpg "Photo of Chiho Yoshikawa")
