The oldest sound in the world Painting

I am a Japanese artist living and working in London. My practice is based in watercolour, printmaking and collage on paper. Although I have lived outside of Japan for more than half of my life, my sensibility and aesthetic are rooted in the quietly meditative tradition of Japanese nature paintings such as Hasegawa Tohaku’s simple black ink paintings from the16th century. Following in this tradition, I seek to capture invisible energy or spirits flowing in nature using abstract shapes and gestural marks. Mark-making is the core of my practice. The work is cultivated in my explorations of the materials and techniques that are often not easily reversible and repeatable such as watercolour and monotype printing. Through making, I reflect on nature’s simplicity belying the complexity in the craft and production. Within random amorphous shapes there are underlying systems, patterns and rules that are influenced and dictated by laws of nature. As I let my intuition lead in the process, the work is the result of my internal conversation and reflection on nature and ecology. The personal meanings and associations with the colours, shapes and marks are imbued in my work. A sense of subtle movement is critical to my work as I believe that the beauty in nature lies in the fact that everything is constantly changing in order to keep the delicate balance in yuragi - the state of flux.