I know this woman, artist Chiyoko Myose. And knowing her makes her current exhibition--Movements of Thread-- on view at City Arts confirm what I have always known: Her work is a real extension of her being--her actual soul.
From Wakayama, Japan--now living in Wichita, Ms. Myose is an artist caught between two worlds, two cultures, two ways of living, and not knowing which one to choose. Through her work she is expressing her search for the place that she can fully call home.
The large, floor to ceiling installation pieces, thrilling in sheer size and scale, are made of fragile materials like thread, paper, dryer sheets, and thin wire. They remind me of nesting material--thin and easily blown away. And she, like a bird with a ferocious heart, flying about in search of ever more material with which to build. I have no clue how she gets the work done.
Superbly woven, intricately sewn, and braided--literally miles of thread and cloth presented in the most vibrant and flowing manner--and finely executed paintings which seem to attempt to map a sojourner's path on this planet, and beyond.
In this exhibition we are witnessing not only visual art, but pure and delicate--poetry. Infinitely feminine, and laid before us like a gift--this exhibition is not seen as much as it is experienced.