Maria Taniguchi's Meditative Paintings and Works Featured in Asia Pacific Triennial

Maria Taniguchi is known for her expansive acrylic artworks that consist of numerous small rectangles arranged in a brick-wall design. Over several months, she meticulously outlines the grid on canvas and paints each individual brick. This labor-intensive and meditative approach aids in her creative process and thought regulation. In addition to painting, her artistic repertoire includes video, sculpture, and installation, exemplified by the single-channel black-and-white video Figure Study (2012), which depicts workers extracting clay in a jungle, paired with clay slabs that match the monitor's dimensions. Originally from Dumaguete, Philippines, she currently resides in Manila. Taniguchi is involved in the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art until April 10, 2016, and was awarded the 2015 Hugo Boss Asia Art Award. Her work has drawn parallels to On Kawara's I AM STILL ALIVE series (1970–2000), which focused on obsessive actions and the intersection of artistic practice and existence. Selected by Lauren Cornell, her art appeared in ArtReview's January & February 2016 issue.