HELEN OJI
New York
“…I see the world as unbounded particles filled with change, movement, hopes, spirit…. As an artist I try to explore the possibilities of capturing these thoughts visually. I want my work to reflect the feelings of celebration of life and spirit.”
About
A contemporary visionary, Helen Oji’s work “erupts” with motion, rich hues, and deep texture. Her collective works are a fusion of her Japanese heritage and abstraction, calligraphy, and the unconscious. She is a nonconformist fueled by raw movement. “My work is concerned with animations, change and physical substance. Through imagery and gesture of material, I want the work to envelop the viewer into its environment.”
She first burst onto the art scene with her “Kimonos,” a series of works on kimono-shaped canvases immersed in mixed media. Notable to these particular works, were her fearlessly use of glitter in accentuating her joyful spirit and distinctive style.
Throughout her career, Oji has evoked emotional responses with her Tea Pot collections, and rendered respect for the forces of nature with her Volcano series. She has taken on sculpture and still-life compositions amazing us with brilliant color, all the while imploring us to examining urban life as seen with her bee series.
She has participated in over thirty five solo and group exhibitions, seven set installations and performances.
Her works are collected by the Museum of Modern Art – New York, NY, the New Museum of Contemporary Art – New York, NY, the Jacksonville Art Museum – Jacksonville, Florida, the Museum of South Texas – Corpus Christi, TX, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers State University of New Jersey – New Brunswick, NJ, Prudential Insurance Company of America – Newark, NJ and Foote, Cone and Belding – New York, NY.
Oji holds a Masters degree in Art from California State University, Sacramento.
