Communicating
the fundamental beauty and energy of nature is an essential
element of Chisen Furukawa’s work.
She concentrates on the grace and beauty that is inherent
in organic materials. Each piece begins with the plants
that she selects and a specific idea or concept. She
frequently works with reeds and in this installation
she transforms the prolific fragmites reed that invades
disturbed wetlands. She worked at the Newhouse Gallery
at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center for a month prior
to the exhibition to collect and prepare the reeds.
Furukawa recognizes that at any point in time Ikebana
can be seen as a contemporary art form that allows for
experimentation. With the passing of time, earlier forms
are now seen as “Traditional Ikebana.â€
She did not learn Ikebana to become an artist, but during
the process, she noticed the possibility for creativity
and decided to explore Ikebana as a form of artistic
expression. She is drawn to the work of James Turrell,
Walter De Maria, and Christo, who work with space and
time on a large, universal scale, and to the philosophical
approach to painting of Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt.
Chisen Furukawa studied with Kasen Yoshimura, Head Master
of the Ryusei-Ha School of Ikebana. She presented a
solo exhibition at P.S. 1 and received an Asian Cultural
Council fellowship in 1991. Her work is permanently
installed at Vintage Villa Mukogaoka in Kanagawa, Japan
and is in the permanent collection of the Honma Museum
in Yamagata, Japan. She was awarded the Ryusei-Ha Kasen
Grand Prize five times and is currently a master teacher.
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