Join us for First Friday, October 7th 2011
works by artist Yuko Nogami Taylor
gallery opening: 7pm-10pm
117 S. West Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
As I was growing up in busy Tokyo, visual stimulation gave me peace of mind. Today, I live in the southern United States, and I use all aspects of my life as subjects for my paintings. I incorporate pictures of places, childhood memories, and recollections of places I have visited to create my art. My desire to express myself erupted after living in the United States and struggling to communicate for six or seven years. In many ways, my representation of painting of American and Japanese cultures is completely organic.
I became fascinated with African-American experience, culture and history. Through my personal experiences with those whom I consider the builders of the country, I fell in love with rare old photos of millions of nameless people. They were slaves or their descendants. I contemplated the strength of their lives and searched for an answer to my question of why I am here and what my purpose is. Giving colour to the past and putting life back into those lives encourages me to paint.
I do not ask viewers to experience my life as interpreted in my art. Rather, I encourage viewers to use their imagination to create their own images of the many small thoughts and experiences accompanying our lives.
-Yuko Nogami Taylor
