Michiko Itatani: Infinite Hope

M I C H I K O I T A T A N I sherry leedy contemporary art

SHERRY LEEDY CONTEMPORARY ART 2004 BALTIMORE AVE. KANSAS CITY, MO 64108 816.221.2626 sherryleedy.com Catalog deisgn Allison King Cover image “Codebreaker” painting from Celestial Maze 20-D-14

Michiko Itatani

INFINITE HOPE

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 - JANUARY 22, 2022

Michiko Itatani: Infinite Hope Bio

Originally from Japan, Michiko Itatani asserts that she is a “made in America” artist. Her paintings reflect her lifelong interest in science fiction and the cosmic and are inhabited by hovering circles of light that suggest a spirit, a possibility, a place to go, Infinite Hope.

Based in Chicago, Itatani received her MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and subsequently taught Painting and Drawing at her alma mater until her retirement in 2019. Always prolific, Itatani’s focus continues to be on her studio practice.

Michiko Itatani’s work has been seen in more than a hundred solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally since 1973. Her works are in many corporate, public, and private collections, including those of The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Olympic Museum, Switzerland; Villa Haiss Museum, Germany; Musèe du Quebec, Canada; Museu D’art Contemporani (MACBA), Barcelona; Hyogo Art Museum, Kobe, Japan; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea.

Michiko Itatani has received Illinois Arts Council Artist’s Fellowships, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Marie Sharp Walsh New York Studio Grant and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. She received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Woman’s Caucus for Art together with Joyce Fernandes, Judy Onofrio, Alison Saar and Judith Stein.

“Shadows of the Mind” painting from Celestial Connection 18-C-1 Oil on canvas 60” x 72”

“Codebreaker” painting from Celestial Maze 20-D-14 Oil on canvas 42” x 34”

“Far and Near” painting from Cosmic Returning 21-C-10 Oil on canvas 60” x 48”

“Far and Near” painting from Cosmic Returning 21-D-06 Oil on canvas 42” x 34”

“Dome Ship” painting from Escape Velocity 21-D-01 Oil on canvas 42” x 34”

“Painted Forest” painting from Tesseract Study 19-D-16 Oil on canvas 60” x 48”

“Quantum Chandelie” painting from Celestial Cadenza 20-D-17 Oil on canvas 40” x 32”

“Personal Codes” painting from Cosmic Geometry 19-D-5 Oil on canvas 34” x 26”

“Personal Codes” painting from Cosmic Geometry 19-D-4 Oil on canvas 34” x 26”

“White Night” from Tesseract Study 19-K-26, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 5” x 5”

“White Night” from Tesseract Study 19-K-39, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 5” x 5”

“Personal Codes” from Cosmic Encounter 15-K-30, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 5” x 5”

“Waiting Game” from Tesseract Study 19-K-42, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 5” x 5”

“Magic Path” from Cosmic Sleepwalk 20-K-09 Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board 6” x 6”

“Starry Night” from HyperBaroque 9-K-62 Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board 10” x 8”

“Starry Night” from Cosmic Encounter 16-K-25 Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board 10” x 8”

“Codebreaker” from Cosmic Sleepwalk 20-K-25, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 6” x 6”

“Starry Night” from Cosmic Encounter 15-K-24, Gouache, ink, prismacolor on board, 6” x 6”

SHERRY LEEDY CONTEMPORARY ART 2004 Baltimore Ave. Kansas City, MO 64108 816.221.2626 sherryleedy.com