Chie Aoki (青木千絵, born 1981[1]) is a Japanese sculptor.[2] Her sculpture work uses mediums of cloth, foam, lacquer,[1][3] and she is also known for photography on rice paper.[4] Her sculptures commonly have the shapes of amorphous human bodies, without heads or faces.[5][6]
Aoki was born in 1981[1] in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.[7] Her father was the curator of the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art and introduced her to Alberto Giacometti's sculptures, which depict existential struggles.[8] She received a degree in arts and crafts from the Kanazawa College of Art in 2005, and completed graduate work in 2006.[7] She has two daughters.[8]
Aoki's works are surreal and convey the idea of metamorphosis or transformation.[9][10] Her sculptures often start as carved styrofoam blocks over which Aoki layers black lacquer, which is then polished.[11]
Aoki's work is influenced by psychological themes seen in Edvard Munch's art.[8]
Aoki's works have been featured in the following collections and galleries: