Joanne Aono
Aono (Blue Fields) East and West
Oil Pencil and graphite on board
36” x 49”
Dualities, comparisons, and contrasts are prominent components of my work, stemming from experiences as a twin and as a Japanese-American. My drawings and paintings, often diptychs, pair positive and negative space, realism and abstraction, as well as a limited palette of two groupings of color.
Comprised of text and image, my artworks are quiet pieces with intricate details, holding layers of information. In defining my identity culturally and as a twin, I pursue unique and signifying characteristics under the surface of similarities. The text comes from my observations, research, and analysis on subjects ranging from Japanese-American culture and my ancestry, to Lake Michigan and the hidden geological wonders beneath its changing waters, to the science and sociology of being a twin. The fading words and minimal imagery provide glimpses of information, as a means of exploring seeing and interpretation, memory and knowledge, along with reading and retention.
BIO
Joanne Aono is a Japanese American Sansei artist, born in Chicago. She received a BFA from Drake University with post graduate classes through the SAIC.
Solo and two person exhibitions of her paintings and drawings include South Shore Arts, Images Gallery, Eyeporium Gallery, Dayton Street, and 303 Erie Artspace, with an upcoming solo show at the Lee Dulgar Gallery. Joanne has shown in numerous group exhibitions including Julius Caesar, Contemporary Art Workshop, Governor’s State University, Woman Made Gallery, Beverly Art Center, Northern Illinois University, and Art Chicago International. She has received City of Chicago Arts grants in addition to a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellowship. Her art has been reviewed in publications such as ArtLetter, NewCity, Northwest Indiana Times, and the Huffington Post.
I AM American Exhibition 