Artist Statement

Drawing from my experience of living among many fascinating cultures around the world, I have developed a rich visual vocabulary which I use to express my artistic feelings. Through my contemporary style of mixed media work and paintings I document experiences of everyday life, my work is an interpretation of new contexts, circumstances, and surroundings.

My pieces are structured in a series of layers. In the process of painting I use a variety of different mediums, with washi paper being one of the prevalent ones; I love the texture and the deceptive strength of this Japanese paper. I also incorporate photography, a text, a story, and a narrative in a social context. I often find myself painting and erasing an image, changing the original message, juxtaposing ideas and images. All these are part of the painting process, and constant experimentation. Recently I have been exploring and using gold and copper sheets which are a real challenge to use.

Since my move back to Japan, my current work has evolved into more abstract and Zen approach, leaving behind the heavy textured and intricate work which was interpretations of my previous African reality. Those were evocative and organic market scenes where we could almost feel the chaos of the place, see the redness of the earth and the colors of the powerful African sun. In Africa there was art everywhere in the streets, billboards, funny street signs; it was a continuous explosion of life and color. My new pieces are perhaps more peaceful and meditative, defined by loosely rendered moments of time and imagination.