Cutie Family's Love at the Time and after Corona
The story about art, and the family
“Black and Red on White”© Ushio + Noriko Shinohara, courtesy of ANOMALY
“In the fall of 2021, when the lockdown in New York loosened a little, I was struck by a sudden impulse, and I wanted to see the Northern Lights! So, I flew to Alaska, a place I had never set my foot, even though I had lived in New York for nearly 50 years.
The Northern Lights were far beyond my imagination I had in my studio. Later, in the fall of 2022, still fascinated by the light of the north, I traveled to Norway as I was attracted to the fjords. The rolling views and white clouds rising from the fjords captured my heart. In the capital city of Oslo, men and women were enjoying the “floating sauna” on the bay of the Fjord. If this was a mirage, it was like the Floating World, or Ukiyo, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I saw carp from the ponds of Kyoto’s gardens swimming there.
Every time I visit Japan, I can’t help but make a stop in Kyoto. Even if it is only for a night or two, I always wish to walk around the streets of Kyoto and add some new memories of my beloved town before returning to New York. In December of 2021, I first visited Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. There I was awestruck by the magnificent plum blossoms loved by Michizane Sugawara. If Vincent Van Gogh had ever come to Kyoto in the 19th century, I have no doubt he would have been overjoyed, and have created a superb painting featuring the plum blossoms and trees of Kyoto.”
Noriko Shinohara (aka Nori-chan)
“Golden Temple”By Noriko Shinohara, Oil Paint & Oil Stick on Canvas
“Cutie & Boxer” is a documentary film that features New York-based Japanese artist couple Ushio (1932-) and Noriko (1953-) Shinohara over a four-year period. The film captures their daily life full of “love and struggle.” The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2014, and won an Emmy Award in the Documentary Film category in 2016. Their artwork and their passionate way of living fascinates people all around the world.
From February 17 to March 26, “Cutie Family’s Love at the Time and after Corona,” a special exhibition featuring Ushio and Noriko Shinohara and their son, Alex Kukai (1974-), will be held at AMMON KYOTO. The exhibition will showcase a series of paintings by Ushio, including his representative “boxing paintings,” the “Cutie” series by Noriko started in 2006 in which she projects her avatar, and drawings by their son, Alex Kukai. From recent works to those created under the difficult circumstances of the Covid pandemic, the exhibition will present the Shinohara Family’s way of showing their passion and beliefs in “Cutie Family’s Love.”
Opened in July 2022 as a branch of AMMON TOKYO (Jimbocho, Tokyo) in the central area of Kyoto. Focusing on contemporary art from Japan and abroad, the gallery holds exhibitions of a wide range of genres, including painting, sculpture, photography, and calligraphy by internationally acclaimed artists as well as artists from Kyoto and artists for the future generation.
Hours: 11:00-19:00
On the south side of Sanjo, between Kawaramachi and Kiyamachi
http://www.ammon.co.jp