Art: Looking Forward

The environmental apocalypse is coming but at least its awash in Technicolor. In the SAM Asian Art Museums new show, Chiho Aoshima: Rebirth of the World, the Japanese pop artist shares her vision of the future, where skyscrapers have minds (and bodies) of their own, red-eyed ghost girls drift along washed-out beaches and puffy clouds have charcoal linings.

Aoshima first gained acclaim in 2001 as a participant in Takashi Murakamis iconic Superflat exhibit, which showcased the postmodern art movement based in anime, manga, kawaii and consumer culture. To create her vast digital landscapes, Aoshima uses Adobe Illustrator, meticulously shaping elements to achieve the organic curves necessary for her pageant of impish animals and radioactive flora.

The most stunning representation of her work at the Asian Art Museum is Takaamanohara, a huge, animated video-mural that is making its debut. It brings alive an imagined reality in which the human relationship with nature has taken a turn for the psychedelic.

Chiho Aoshima: Rebirth of the World
Through 10/4. SAM Asian Art Museum, 1400 E Prospect St.;
206.654.3100; seattleartmuseum.org.