To New York-Vancouver 2002

Curator: The piece before us is Atsuko Tanaka’s "To New York-Vancouver," created in 2002 using acrylic paint. Editor: My immediate reaction is that it feels like a nervous system mapped out in primary colors, bursting with energy. There’s an undeniable visual excitement at play here. Curator: Indeed. Note the deployment of these seemingly random but intensely chromatic orbs tethered by a sinuous web of lines. It speaks volumes about Tanaka’s enduring interest in networks, systems, and circuits. Editor: It's striking how these interconnected circles almost mimic electrical circuits or even cellular structures, connecting places. This idea of networks—did that hold significance for her work generally? Curator: Profoundly. From her early days with the Gutai Art Association, Tanaka explored the concept of connection, often manifested through electric lights and bells. This piece, though more abstract, continues that inquiry into how things are linked. See how line functions here to structure form, rhythm, and space into what looks almost like an electrical diagram. Editor: The circles—do they have an iconic purpose here, beyond form and line? The title indicates two distinct locations. I see vibrant reds, yellows and blues suggesting specific locales and states of being linked. Curator: I think you make an excellent point about place. She isn't simply illustrating geography but perhaps more concerned with psychological cartography. New York and Vancouver, rendered through chromatic association and linked, forming some greater, more complex unity. Editor: Fascinating. Viewing it through that lens transforms the image. It shifts from pure abstraction to a potent diagram of linked consciousness. Curator: Exactly. I think by restricting herself to bold, almost childlike shapes, she encourages us to find the deeper connections ourselves. Editor: Considering the bold application of colour and composition, and the title, my own sense is how networks offer both exhilaration and overload. This image captures that state perfectly. Curator: Ultimately, Tanaka leaves us pondering what it truly means to be connected, not just geographically or electrically, but as part of something much grander and complex.