The surrealist painter Chie Yoshii is a Los Angeles-based, Japanese-born artist who creates beautiful oil paintings that explore timeless psychological themes with a contrasting mix of techniques and styles.
夢 (DREAMS) will feature 11 new oil paintings and three drawings on paper in Yoshii’s signature surreal female figurative style.
Much of her work is inspired by the relationship between human psychology and mythical archetypes. The enduring themes are woven into surrealities filled with symbols and visual narratives. The enigmatic images embody contradicting elements such as novelty and nostalgia, innocence and sensuality, and strength and fragility, mirroring the complexity of our psyche.
OPENING RECEPTION
October 20, 2018 | 7pm – 11pm
ON VIEW
October 20 – November 24, 2018
COREY HELFORD GALLERY
571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm – 6pm
(310) 287-2340
On Saturday, October 20, downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery will proudly present the debut solo exhibition from mythological surrealist painter Chie Yoshii, entitled 夢 (DREAMS), in Gallery 3. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 20 from 7pm – 11pm, and the show will be on view until November 24.
This Los Angeles-based, Japanese-born artist creates beautiful oil paintings that explore timeless psychological themes with a contrasting mix of techniques and styles. 夢 (DREAMS) features 11 new oil paintings and three drawings on paper in Yoshii’s signature surreal female figurative style.
On the one hand, the brushstrokes and the luminosity of her panels are reminiscent of traditional Flemish paintings, in which the details, the quality of shading, and the softness of each character’s complexion, are presented in a masterly manner. On the other hand, the subtle symbolism and compelling presence of the figures bring an unexpected air of accessible modernity.
Much of her work is inspired by the relationship between human psychology and mythical archetypes. The enduring themes are woven into surrealities filled with symbols and visual narratives. The enigmatic images embody contradicting elements such as novelty and nostalgia, innocence and sensuality, and strength and fragility, mirroring the complexity of our psyche.
In her show statement, Yoshii quotes Sakutarō Hagiwara (considered the “father of modern colloquial poetry in Japan”), “The intellect does not know anything. Intellect normalizes everything and gives a mediocre explanation to myth. Yet, the hidden meaning of the universe is always beyond mediocrity.”
She continues, “In dreams, we leave the intellect behind, and wonder in the images that emerge from the depth of the mind. Some of these images are personal, but others are impersonal and archaic.
According to pioneering psychiatrist Carl Jung, the deepest layer of the psyche is the collective unconscious which is common to all people. In the same way that human body carries a long evolutionary history within, the mind also inherits a universal part. This collective unconscious consists of archetypes which are patterns of instinctive behavior. Freud called them ‘archaic remains.’ Mythologists call them ‘motifs.’ Other scholars call them ‘categories of the imagination’ or ‘primordial thoughts.’ Through dreams, they enter consciousness in the form of primordial images.
Dreams are a way to leave the personal details and connect with the universal symbols. In this show, each painting represents a dream, a psychological pattern that I hope resonate with the viewers.”
Chie Yoshii’s 夢 (DREAMS) will open Saturday, October 20 from 7pm – 11pm in Gallery 3. The reception is open to the public and the exhibit will be on view through November 24. The space is open Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 6pm. Corey Helford Gallery is located at 571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033.
About Chie Yoshii
A native of Japan, Chie Yoshii came to the U.S. in 1996, where she completed BFA at Massachusetts College of Art in 2000. She began her career as a visual effects artist in Los Angeles, but eventually shifted her focus to painting, her primary passion. She has studied drawing and painting at schools including Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. Eventually, she studied with the award-winning, internationally recognized realist painter Adrian Gottlieb from 2002 to 2008, going on to exhibit her work in galleries worldwide, including Dorothy Circus Gallery in Italy, Urban Nation in Germany, Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, and William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampton, MA. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.