Chieko Murasugi (she/her) is a painter and multi-media artist who was born in Tokyo, raised in Toronto, and lived in San Francisco for 20 years before moving to the NC Triangle in 2012. She holds degrees in Experimental Psychology (Ph.D., York U) and Studio Art (MFA, UNC-CH). Her work has been exhibited nationally in galleries and museums, and her paintings are included in the collections of Duke University and the Cities of Raleigh and Durham.
In my practice I use abstraction to explore questions of family, history, and personal agency. Trained in both art and vision science, and shaped by my parents’ survival of the WWII fire-bombings I examine how narratives are built and how chance intervenes in their making. My work moves between intuition and structure, where visual illusions and controlled randomness invite the viewer to question what is seen and perceived.
I investigate generational trauma, chance, and perception by employing evocative and archival materials, digitally assisted randomization, and spatial ambiguities. In addition to painting, I include textiles, mixed media, collage, and lens-based techniques to reveal how forces including, and beyond individual volition, intersect to shape identity and beliefs.