Year: 2022
Medium: oil on linen, wood panel
Dimensions: 150 x 150 cm (59 x 59 in.)
Acquired from Void+, 2022
Mitobe’s works are described as paintings that are like densely layered sculptures, but there is more than that. This work is not just merely a signboard written with a well-known slogan. To depict subject matter just as others who create with the use of paintbrush, Mitobe grabs big chunks of paint with her hands and smears them directly onto the canvas. A closer look reveals that the characters are depicted with forcefully drawn lines on an extremely coarse fabric. White color is occasionally superimposed onto the black characters to accentuate their outlines. Such practice does not appear to be simply an embellishment with the intention of reinforcement. The artist captures the shape of every single alphabet and attempts to highlight its form in a pictorial manner. She realized that the message expressed by characters will be firmly conveyed to a greater extent. Even when drawing letters, Mitobe is nevertheless, still a painter.
