Yuko Saico

Artist Statement

My path forms on the canvas with the colors and textures.
Since I was born and raised in Osaka, the irony of society in Osaka makes chaotic rhapsody throughout my life.
All things are impairment like flow on Dotombori Channel in Osaka.
Desparating to change my life and left Japan to earn BFA and MFA in the USA, but nothing changed; just left the history of unemployment for a decade.
After a decade of unemployment, I find work as an essential worker called gardener.
Treated poorly from the soceity for a decade and end up at the abandoned gardens among the recycling plants in the rural area of Osaka daytime, and living in downtown Osaka among the sky scraper at night with all unwanted troubles.
Through the journey of life, I developed strong sensitivities to transience of life;
The sensitivities to ephemera became one of my themes for art.
I’ve always been considered a black sheep wherever I’ve been the entire of my life. But I transcend all isolation; solitude became my peace and energy for making art.
I was trying to fit in the academic or the marketing part of art, but I couldn’t.
The things makes me inspire is always front of me, but not in museums, galleries or libraries; my artistic practice and influence always come from my physical, mental, and spiritual experience in my life.
Juxtaposition of natural lights at the abandoned gardens and the neon lights from the billboards in the downtown with chaotic stories as my daily routine became a pilgrimage to develop my own color theories and the philosophy of transience of life.
The practice of tilling soils becomes meditation and informs my instinctive drawing with texture.
Managing the flow of liquid oil paintings with the texture drawing according to my own logic to create the belief of ugly and beauty.
Life is uncontrollable like the flow of river impairment.
I find the truth of the beauty in imperfection and impermanence.
All the things I experienced harmonized as an imperfect beauty as my paintings.
Then the practice of my gardening skills with my relationship with chaotic society and nature formed my painting techniques and philosophy, then I realized;I seed my soul into the canvas then rise until it blooms.
I enlighten myself through the painting as the meditation for my soul.
Recently I presented the following series of paintings.
The series of paintings called Ghosts on the Dotombori channel reveal unreasonable stories of the iconic tourism area is hiding the history of hundreds of civilian casualties in 1945 and vulnerable victims of sex industries in Osaka for the sake of peace.
Ghosts on the Dotombori channel is also my own symbolism for remembrance of all war victims in this turbulent time in the world and wish for peace.
The series of paintings called Greenery riots presents peaceful protests for saving nature and civil rights for resilience who are defeating the suffering from the strong powers based on my expirences.
My land became a big inspiration and symbolized being overcome from difficulties since a mud plastered storage in my property saved my family from air raid attack in 1945. Texture presents the weathered surface of storage become the metaphor for the power of resistance.
The series of Lichen is from my obsession with lichens because it verifies my spiritual connection with nature.
Using lichen as own metaphor for meditation and solidarity because they are like monks on the rocks for enlightenment and they are
everywhere on top of mountains in the world. Myself as a lone wolf, but I feel I have been spiritually connected with all black sheep and lone wolves who have same aim for world peace all over the earth. My solitude call the spiritual solidarity for the peace.
And the Solitude series is very personal.
Throughout my life, I was alone. But loneliness became the most powerful gift for surviving the turbulence of my life.
For me the meaning of solitude is the peace and empowerment. And I express my inner peace from the paintings.
All paintings I make are introduced with my original poems like picture books on social media.
Poetry are inseparable from my painting, because they are inextricably intertwined with each other to present my statements for my paintings.
Life is challenging with unwanted troubles, but painting my path lightens me to overcome all difficulties.