Roshambo #14, 2019

Acrylic, cutouts (toned paper, ink, acrylic, and nori), and Flashe on Arches paper

Dimensions: 29.5" x 41"

Image courtesy of the artist

Chieko Mary Murasugi

Chapel Hill, North Carolina chiekomurasugi.com

Roshambo refers to “Rock, Paper, Scissors,“ a game my family played when a conflict arose and we needed to make a decision. As I am a descendant of samurais, the progeny of WWII survivors, and a child of the Cold War, Roshambo exemplifies my desire for peaceful alternatives to warfare. Each work consists of both painted and collaged elements. The collaged pieces reference samurai armors, artifacts, and weapons. These pieces were cut out from older works on paper that incorporated Japanese materials such as ink and nori (dried seaweed). The painted object-like forms in Roshambo are derived from origami-inspired colors, and flat, shifting geometric shapes that allude to the illusory, transient, and often unreliable processes of memory and history.