Bio

Expressing the existence of precious pitiful human beings

Chie Aoki | 青木千絵
Urushi Sculpture Artist, Japan

chieaoki1204@gmail.com

The figures in my work often take a somewhat sad or melancholic pose; they hang their heads, throw themselves down, sit firmly planted upon the ground, or stand forever motionless. These works comprise a life-size human body merging with an abstract rounded jet-black mass to portray a human figure suffering from anxiety, fear, or apprehension withdrawing into their shell; each figure isolates themselves from the external world and just quietly exists in silence.

Each one is coated by a lustrous jet-black membrane; the effect is achieved by repeatedly layering thin coats, each measuring less than 0.1 mm. More than 30 production processes slowly give it solidity and build a strong surface with a mirror-like luster. This steady process resembles creating a shelter to protect us from the external world; it is as if the hard and beautiful lacquered surface transforms the vulnerable and unattractive human into a powerful and beautiful being.

By using urushi lacquer, a strong and striking material, I want to express the "existence of precious pitiful human beings" who live so powerfully and vigorously while bearing their burden of anxiety and solitude.