From Andrew Frost…
The Japan Foundation’s recently relocated gallery space in the new-ish Central Park tower on Broadway is in keeping with the vibe of their old space at Chifley Square, and the broader Japanese tradition of contemporary art galleries in shopping centres. And, as part of JF’s ongoing commitment to exhibiting the work of contemporary Japanese artists and their Australian counterparts, is the appropriately titled Contemporary Art Mini-Series, series of exhibitions that showcase artists working across various media: “Haruyo Morita (painter), and Jennie Feyen (video artist) [their] works are influenced by modern interpretations of Japanese tradition, showcasing the fusion of Japanese and Australian art and culture.”
Morita and Feyen’s show is Transcend: Morita’s Soul Portraits are the “…result of meditating on each of her portrait subjects and translating their aura and energy into shapes and colour on canvas” while Feyen’s video installation My Core and experimental video collection To Dream In Japanese “…draw deeply from Japanese performance art and folklore”. Morita’s paintings feature swirls and patterns of colour suggesting the globe or views of a planet from space, while Feyen’s video and film installations mix contemporary and traditional performance styles to produce visually striking meditations of moments of transcendence and change. The complimentary connection between the two artists is a poetic will to beauty.
Until July 29
Japan Foundation Gallery, Chippendale
Pic: Jennie Feyen, My Core, 2013. 8:17 mins, single channel HD video, looped.
