Chinatsu Ban

signed in English and dated 2005 with the artist's seal on the reverse

This work is in good condition overall. There are no apparent condition issues with this work.
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An enormous, yet gentle creature, the elephant, part of the pachyderm family, and its image, has been a reoccurring symbol in various cultures, in religious depictions as well as in secular representation. In the Hindu religion, the elephant takes form in a diety, Ganesha, the patron of arts and sciences, and deva of intellect and wisdom. While in Buddhist tradition, the elephant is a symbol of the strength of the mind and is thought to embody the calm majesty possessed by one who is on the path to enlightenment. The elephant has also become an icon of popular culture, as seen in the French cartoon character, Babar, and Disney's Dumbo. For Japanese artist, Chinatsu Ban, elephants also hold a special meaning: 'These things are like talismans. It's scary to imagine that someday I won't exist in this world anymore. I am troubled by the urge to run away from this fear. Elephants make me feel safe. They have saved me many times.' Her painting, The 10:45 PM Creature (It was Probably a Racoon!) (Lot 742), holds true to her idea of the elephant as the champion; the protagonist which provides comfort and safety, amid a chaotic, often daunting world.

As a member of Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki group, she participated in his exhibition, Little Boy, in 2005, joining her contemporaries in a show dedicated to the 'exploding subcultures' of Japan. Demonstrated by her fibreglass and acrylic painted sculptures of adorable cartoon-like elephants in pairs wearing underwear, Ban's iconography revolves around the cult of kawaii , as seen in October Breezy, November Wheezy, December Freezy (Lot 741). However, there is also a more serious undercurrent which courses through 'little boy' art. Its name refers to the name of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the American plane, Enola Gay, during World War II. The childish, toy-like features central to this expanding subculture and Ban's work reflect the backward process of infantilization imposed upon Japanese culture as a result of the bombings, such as the complete destruction of two major cities, an American occupation until 1952, and the disarmament of Japan which occurred during occupation.

While her sculptures undoubtedly exemplify the essence of kawaii and their more subtle implications, Ban's paintings address some philosophical questions and concepts, as well as reveal her negotiations with abstraction. Her painting, The Song of Passing (Lot 740),  envisions a fanciful, strange world, with a distorted elephant crying, flanked by an accumulation of scale-like, circular forms.  A shrunken body hangs from a yellow branch, while little organisms and forms seem to be protruding and growing out of every crack within the space of the canvas. The world depicted appears fertile, yet cruel, but no crueller than our own world, with life and death co-existing and constantly occurring. The imagery in this work can be interpreted as an essentially Buddhist world view, a perpetual cycle of living and dying, a return to nature upon death, but with the potential and hope of rebirth.