Kotaro FUKUI: Silent Flowers and Ostriches

The Chelsea Art Museum, Home of the Miotte Foundation, is pleased to present Kotaro FUKUI: Silent Flowers and Ostriches. An extraordinary 24 ft. long “Silent Flower” painting was transported from Tokyo to blanket the walls of the Chelsea Art Museum. Kotaro Fukui is a Japanese artist who create... Read more

The Chelsea Art Museum, Home of the Miotte Foundation, is pleased to present
Kotaro FUKUI: Silent Flowers and Ostriches. An extraordinary 24 ft. long “Silent
Flower” painting was transported from Tokyo to blanket the walls of the Chelsea
Art Museum. Kotaro Fukui is a Japanese artist who created this masterwork by
applying gold foil to washi, a handmade Japanese paper, employing brush ink
to create stems and leaves, and then superimposing blue lapis lazuli pigment on
the result. The precious blue stone powder is simultaneously subtle in application
but powerful in affect.

Traditionally in East Asia, the iris has been a talisman against evil. An iris painted
on a soldier’s armor was said to protect him from enemies. Irises have also
symbolized longevity because they stand straight reaching towards the sky and
the blue of the petals recalls the blue of sky and sea – in addition to the
photographs of Earth from space. Fukui’s fascination with irises reflects his
concerns with nature and the role of humans in nature.