The Dream of Live Performance Painting & Music

Welcome to our new performing art of Painting & Music.

A collaborative performance of painting and music by artist Haruko Furukawa with Shiki Japanese Music Group. While being accompanied by diverse musicians, Haruko creates large paintings to express her passion for world peace and happiness. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Haruko’s arrival in Christchurch, this concert features traditional and contemporary Japanese music.

Award-winning Japanese artist Haruko Furukawa from Osaka, Japan graduated from Kyoto Saga University of Arts. After presenting a number of works in Japan, including three exhibitions at Gallery Strada and an exhibition at Kita gallery in Nara, she moved to Christchurch and has had many exhibitions in New Zealand. In 2014 she was selected for the Parkin Drawing Prize in Wellington. She has been active as a mural artist since 2016. In 2017 she was invited to participate in the Art Prize 9 international competition in Michigan USA. She won the 2020 Paint n’ Pen street art competition in Christchurch. She is active as an artist in New Zealand, Japan, the United States and Australia in collaborative exhibitions with artists from other genre such as flower arrangements. She is also involved in public art, street art, performance art and art in other fields.

Shiki, the Japanese music group, consist of local musicians who enjoy playing traditional Japanese music together. “Shiki” means 4 Seasons in Japanese, and the Koto group has been playing in Christchurch for about 30 years.
Koto is an instrument that was introduced from China to Japan about 1320 years ago and is made of paulownia and has 13 strings.

When I was a little girl, I wanted a magic wand. It exited me to imagine how I would be able to fulfil my dreams and wishes with such a tool.
Now I find my magic is my painting brush. It transports to another world.My hope is to bring others with me.

 When I was 23 years,I became very lonely after returning from New Zealand, so I painted the stones, trees and flowers I brought back from New Zealand with Japanese landscape. I drew it hoping that I could go back and forth between Japan and New Zealand with art. Three years later, I had an exhibition in New Zealand and then I moved.

 People all over the world are experiencing the same suffering in this pandemic, I think you can sympathize with my thoughts.
I feel like something will happen if I can be one with same thinking people in the small world of the concert venue.