Yoshiko Okada

Artists statement

Some complexity enters this situation when I am asked to explain my work or relate it to other artists work as my view of my work is both internal and ever changing.

There is a great deal of weight in Japanese culture on things representing other things rather than themselves and this expands as far as the language itself.

My work continues to explore a Japanese background and experiences, and my current English and European situation. It explores the synergy and paradoxes these different influences create when patched together into an identity, lifestyle and consciousness. I have been working with kiln cast glass concentrating on forms of simplicity. My work explores themes of memory, identity, time and the human condition. Although seemingly complicated this often leads me to simple forms of expression or symbolism.

Another concern for me are my childhood memories and a sort of puzzle to find and piece together the missing pieces, which rather like many peoples life do not fit together precisely which is a condition I sympathize with and influences my work presently.

Also in some of my self portraits I try to explore the condition that in seeing the surface image, sometimes one sees only part of the full picture. Often some views are veiled or reflected in a different or composite manner, rather like ones own self image.

All images © Yoshiko Okada. Website Colin Kennedy