From the Hard Street Series
Conte on paper
30 x 44.75 in. / 76.2 x 113.6 cm
2014
Unframed

Hard Street was stimulated by daily news reports and the accompanying images of the conflict and upheaval taking place in so many parts of the world. 

Charcoal and conté chalk, with their potential to create a sense of urgency and fluidity, seemed to be the appropriate medium for the theme. Each piece consists of two separate drawings, a figure on the left and demolished structures on the right. They were executed in isolation from each other and later matched up and joined together with acid-free linen tape to create diptychs. 

The images of violence and destruction are difficult to ignore. Occasionally, I come across photographs of protesters frozen in grace and athleticism and I am struck by the incongruity of the dance-like postures in a landscape of desperation and destruction. 

While rock-throwing protesters are not present in most war zones, the figures in my drawings represent the people who are struggling to survive unimaginable hardships.

Originally written for the exhibition, Hard Street (Ottawa School of Art, 2016), these views still hold true today.  

March 2022
Norman Takeuchi