P A I N T I N G S & D R A W I N G S B Y Y U M I K O A W A E
"i was born in Japan in 1976. my parents and i moved to Los Angeles in 1985 with no knowledge of the English language. my father had been enamored of the Western life since he was a teenager, and one day, he just felt like moving to America was a good idea. looking at Japan from an outsider's viewpoint now, i too think it was a good idea after all.
"i have no formal education in art. i had applied for California Institute of the Arts and was accepted right out of high school, but grudgingly held off enrollment due to financial problems. i later reapplied, and was rejected. i have not explored other schools and have no desire to do so at this time. i get encouraged by observing other artists' works, roughly in two ways: one, i see professional work by accomplished artists and get inspired. two, i roll my eyes at the mediocre load that somehow makes way into the local galleries. i become convinced that i am much more worthy and regain the will to continue trying.
"most of the themes that appear in my art are unfamiliar to me. that's not to say i'm not responsible for them, but most of the time i don't remember their origin. i rarely incorporate existing objects or events into my art. the contents of my work are like imaginary friends--they usually pop up in my subconscious for a few seconds and leave me puzzled. trying to recreate the flashing image is like trying to photograph a dream. the outcome is usually a gross betrayal of what i first set out to depict, but satisfying nonetheless."
- YUMIKO AWAE
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