Japanese American painter Chie Fueki receives first mid-career survey exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum
Works spanning 25 years of the artist’s career transform scenes of everyday life into the extraordinary
Acrylic on mulberry paper on wood, 12 x 22 in. Private Collection, Courtesy of Shoshana Wayne Gallery. Photo: Gene Ogami.
Sarasota, Fla. — Visually striking and intricate, Chie Fueki’s paintings capture contemporary life in full motion. Known for her vibrant and densely layered works, Fueki synthesizes Japanese ukiyo-e atmospheric techniques with Western abstraction to transform familiar scenes into luminous“floating worlds.” On view October 18–April 4, 2027, at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, “Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World” will feature works spanning the artist’s 25-year career that capture the complex beauty of everyday human life. This exhibition marks the first mid-career survey exhibition of Fueki’s work.
Born in Japan, growing up in Brazil, and now living and working in the United States, Chie Fueki’s artwork embraces visual language from three distinct cultures.
“I consider myself a mixed-language painter with an interest in eastern and western perspectival systems, architectural graphics, pop animation, pre-Renaissance European painting, and exuberant color,” said Fueki.
In addition to cultural influences, materials and process are central to the artists’ work. Fueki’s images dance with an interplay of painting, drawing, and cut paper, carving out familiar scenes, which honor but aren’t tethered by the everyday. Using materials like mulberry paper, glitter, and graphite rubbings on wood panels, Fueki’s paintings often have a “jewel-like” quality that responds to the light, and feel more constructed than painted. Fueki’s large-scale mixed media panels move fluidly between figuration and abstraction and are at once intimate and expansive, customary and cosmic.
Acrylic, pencil, colored pencil, collage on wood panel, 84 x 72 in. Private Collection, Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York.
“One of the wonderful aspects of being part of Ringling College of Art and Design is that Sarasota Art Museum is able to draw on the talents and expertise of our accomplished colleagues and alumni,” shared Executive Director Virginia Shearer. “In the past, we’ve engaged the talents of faculty like Selina Román (Abstract Corpulence, 2025), Jamie DeRuyter (Future Now, 2025), and Joe Fig (Contemplating Vermeer, 2024). This season, we are pleased to be bringing these remarkable works by Ringling alum Chie Fueki to share with locals and tourists alike.”
Fueki’s influence is national with such recent solo exhibitions as: KinoSaito Art Center, Verplanck, New York (2024), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Salt Lake City, Utah (2023); DC Moore Gallery, New York (2022); Pamela Salisbury Gallery, Hudson, New York (2023); Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles (2005, 2008, 2013, 2023); Mother Gallery, Beacon, New York (2020), Mary Boone Gallery, New York (2006, 2011); Bill Maynes Gallery, New York (2002, 2003); Orlando Museum of Art, Florida (2014). Her work is included in permanent collections of the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Orlando Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; San Jose Museum of Art; The Pizzuti Collection at Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
“Chie Fueki: Painting the Floating World” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions, with Rangsook Yoon, former senior curator.
About Sarasota Art Museum
Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is the city’s only Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Founded in 2019, SAM features an ever-rotating lineup of world-class exhibitions, dynamic programs, and enriching educational offerings, and serves as a creative gathering place for curious minds from across the Gulf Coast, Southeast United States, and beyond. Housed in the historic former Sarasota High School, the Museum has revitalized and reimagined the towering landmark and architectural treasure, connecting Sarasota’s past with its present. Today, SAM is home to 15,000 square feet of gallery exhibition space, where nationally touring shows, as well as curated and commissioned exhibits by both renowned and emerging artists, deepen visitors’ appreciation for 20th- and 21st-century art. More at SarasotaArtMuseum.org