Japanese artist Juri Morioka was born in Tokyo, but ever since she learnt in school that the Japanese Constitution, with its renunciation of war, was drawn up by Americans, she had a desire to learn English and travel to the US, which she saw as a country of peace.
She fulfilled this dream, by going on a high school exchange programme to Ohio, and she now lives in New York, a city that has inspired her recent work.
Morioka’s latest paintings from the exhibit "Fruitful Life" in Dubai look like maps of her journeys around the city, with perhaps her favourite hangouts and other significant spots marked out.
The titles of the paintings, such as I Can Get There With My Eyes Closed, and Walking Towards Each Other, also seem to refer to a familiar place.
The abstract works are composed of lines, geometric forms, and colour fields of soothing greens and blues.
“I always approach the canvas directly, without any preceding sketches or studies. I paint in the manner of Zen, moving my brushes along with my mind’s rhythm, relying solely on instinct and intuition. Outside of conscious thought, I search for harmony and form in the play of color and shapes, and a composition gradually emerges. Then, feeling my way with my brush, I enter the painting and wander through its spaces and along its paths with a deep sense of belonging. I welcome the viewer to join me on the same journey, with the same sense of belonging, sharing in the belief that everything has a life of its own, and a story tell,” Morioka says.
