Chikuha Otake
Eiko creates a duet with the paintings of her grandfather, Chikuha Otake (1878-1936), who died 16 years before Eiko was born. Eiko travelled to see his painting, read his published essays and created a duet with his paintings and words. The video can be seen alone or during her performance as Eiko interacts with the projected image. A duet with a dead person's work is an attempt to learn about the dead, his art, and take in and share the remains of the dead. It is to also discover and nurture the self in relationship to the dead.
Chikuha was a praised figure in traditional Japanese painting. He earned many national awards in his early career. But later his experimenting with more ambitious styles and his anti-mainstream sentiments were shunned by the field authorities. Out of his frustration, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1915. His loss brought him much debt and his reputation was severely damaged.
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