Sense of Individual Identity in Etsuko Shida's Art at Agora Gallery

NEW YORK, NY, March 01, 2011 (Press-News.org) Chelsea's Agora Gallery will feature Japanese artist, Etsuko Shida, in Matrix of the Mind: Contemporary Fine Art by Japanese Artists. The exhibition is scheduled to run from March 1, 2011 through March 22, 2011 (opening reception: Thursday, March 3, 2011).

About the Artist
Drawing inspiration from her native Japanese culture and the enduring forms and symbols of the ancient world, Etsuko Shida paints abstract vistas that reverberate with the infinite nature of time and space. Using acrylic paints, diatomite, and powder pigments applied with brushes, spatulas, and sponges, Shida aims to capture the spontaneity of the moment, leading to expressions that are always changing, forever in flux. What results are images that convey a distinct feeling of spaciousness, of vast potential. This is combined with her use of line, which at times introduces an underlying tension into the mix.

Shida's artistic approach is deceptively simple, as she draws heavily from a muted palette and relies primarily on repetitions of geometric forms. But colors and forms are distinctly layered to create a depth and complexity that render the images anything but minimal. However modest her images may seem at first glance, they open for the viewer new landscapes of emotive expression, allowing the imagination to soar.

Exhibition Dates: March 1, 2011 - March 22, 2011
Reception: Thursday, March 3, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Etsuko_Shida.aspx

About the Exhibition:
Agora Gallery is spreading the spring feeling this March as three new exhibitions bring a sense of freshness and possibility to the gallery. Morphing into Milieu and Singular Sensations express a sense of joyful confidence in the beauty of the world and its value, displaying the work of artists who address reality in a courageous and innovative way. Appearing at the same time is Matrix of the Mind, an elegant survey of contemporary Japanese artists, which will leave viewers feeling refreshed and with a new interest in their surroundings.

Featured Artists:
Morphing into Milieu
Francisco Chediak, Rene Foster, Maria Jose Royuela, Maricela Sanchez

Singular Sensations
Masoud Abedi, Jorge Berlato, Susannah Virginia Griffin, Jenny Medved

Matrix of the Mind: Contemporary Fine Art by Japanese Artists
Fumitoshi Kamura, Fumie Kihara, Jun Kim, Sachie Koyama, Koki Morimoto, Iwasaki Nagi, Umeko Okano, Etsuko Shida, Tamiko Tominaga

Agora Gallery is a fine art gallery, established in 1984 and located in the heart of New York City's Chelsea art galleries district. It is famous for showcasing a spectacular array of talented artists from around the world and around the corner, while providing quality and original art to collectors. Gallery II, an elegant adjacent gallery space, gives artists the ideal area for a solo or group exhibition of their own, organized and publicized by Agora Gallery. The gallery also publishes ARTisSpectrum Magazine, a bi-annual magazine that is distributed to museums, galleries, art institutions and art schools around the world. It provides artists, collectors, museums, galleries, art organizations and enthusiasts with access to the work of international talented artists as well as feature articles, reviews and interviews. Agora Gallery is also the sponsor of ARTmine, one of the most comprehensive resources available worldwide to view and purchase fine art. The gallery also runs Agora Art Blog, a blog designed to provide helpful information and advice for artists while providing a forum for artists to help one another by sharing their experiences and thoughts.