HANAMI - SOLO SHOW CIOU
Ciou has progressed enormously; the works have dizzyingly more details than ever, super intense colours and more layered stories.
You have to see the works in real life to experience how unparalleled her technique is.
HANAMI
The literal meaning of Hanami is 'the art of watching flowers'.
The word Hanami in Japanese is composed by the kanji ‘flower’ and ‘see’, so it’s the art of contemplate flowers. The word refers in Japan to cherry blossoms and how to enjoy small things and nature during the spring. The Japanese people give a lot of importance to the ephemeral and to live every moment or season.
For the solo show 'Hanami', Ciou is inspired by the theme of the four seasons. Not only in the traditional sense, but also through the climatic disturbances; some days nowadays are totally strange with the experience of four seasons in one day.
The large, hyper-detailed drawings 'Guardian of the seasons' and 'Four seasons in one' show the urgency of climate change in a surrealistic and magical way. Ciou has chosen to work out the drawings in black and white, which gives a melancholic effect. These drawings are very impressive and incredibly imaginative.
Besides drawing and painting, Ciou spends many of her days practicing Hanami, the art of watching flowers through the seasons. You can see this already for a number of years in her work, in which she always manages to create a new, very intriguing world inspired by nature. This wonderful world is a beautiful surprising mix of existing - and fantasy flora and fauna. She is also inspired by the celebration of the circle of life.
A few years ago Ciou went through the experience 'Go for Hanami' or 'Sakura' in Tokyo. This magical encounter with the cherry blossoms will stay with her forever and continue to inspire her.
The painting 'First bloom meeting' is made with that special feeling of a great outdoor Sakura celebration, a sense of rebirth, a beautiful celebration of spring surrounded by the spirit of nature. This source of inspiration can also be seen in the paintings 'Think pink', 'Hanami fever' and 'Serpentina queen of the Sakura'.
Welcome!
Saturday March 11 until Saturday April 1, 2023