08/20/2026
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wondered what it would mean to make art my life’s work.
This September, that path brings me back to Japan—with paintings of my own.
I’ll be showing work in Tokyo alongside 野口 アヤ at SISON GALLERy, while also presenting Vestige at TRANOÏ TOKYO.
Perhaps the path was never as unclear as I thought.
———
Art existed in my earliest memories. At three years old, drawing felt like magic.
With just pen and paper, you could create new worlds.
I loved it so much that I used to write “artist” as my dream job every year.
But back then, the adults around me treated it like a childhood fantasy—akin to becoming a “princess.”
Years later, while walking through Naoshima, I began to think about that little girl again.
A career is not unlike a forest path.
I’ve taken many detours myself.
English Literature, journalism, management school, starting a business.
Each one was a compromise.
But with every turn, the path became a little more distinct.
Sometimes, the path disappears entirely.
At Go’o Shrine, I was handed a flashlight and pointed toward a cave with no further instructions.
So I walked in.
The tunnel was dark, muddy and narrow.
Then, suddenly—
light.
A glass staircase emerged from the earth, connecting darkness to sky.
I began noticing “paths” everywhere on Naoshima.
Narrow corridors.
Hidden passages.
Long walks toward a single artwork.
No matter how it’s designed, every path asks the same of us: Keep going.
Perhaps this is what art teaches us.
To keep moving before we know where we’re going.
To trust the path even when we cannot see the Destination.
And maybe becoming an artist is not about finding a new path.
It’s about finally recognizing the one you’ve been walking all along.
This September, I will return to Japan with paintings of my own.
PARALLEL
Guest Artist for 野口 アヤ
SISON GALLERy
Daikanyama, Tokyo
9/17 – 10/4
TRANOÏ TOKYO
TRANOÏ TOKYO
9/9 – 9/10
