Working digitally in a vector art program (presumably Illustrator), and outputting her images on a large scale printer, Chiho Aoshima creates wall-size installations, “wallpapers” and environments.

Coming from a background that did not include any formal art training, Aoshima’s images are full of brightly colored, cartoon style landscapes, citiscapes and fantasy environments, populated with cheery-looking anime and manga inspired characters, usually young women, often engaged in vaguely horrific activities.

Aoshima can be associated with the “superflat” movement, popular among young Japanese artists, that emphasizes the two dimensionality and simplified forms that make up their visual vocabulary.

Aoshima’s work can have an interesting juxtaposition of images that at first have the appearance of colorful innocence, and on second glance can be disconcertingly morbid, producing a feeling of pop comics storybook illustrations gone horribly wrong.

I haven’t had a chance to see her work in person, but I get the feeling that scale makes a difference (as it usually does). Her images are often highly detailed and include small elements that may not be visible in reproductions, and are displayed at a size intended to have an immersive quality.

The galleries I list below often include photos of the large scale and wall size works printed and mounted in place, so you can get a idea of their size and presentation, which sometimes includes sculptural objects or printed floors.

Link via Ann Marshall