Chiyeko Yuki: Here's to Life

Here’s to Life:  Opening Reception Fri.  May 31, 6-9pm

Spring is here again after the long, severe winter. The seasons come around. Eight years have passed since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami took away the lives of more than 18,000 people and swept away everyday life along the coasts.

After the terrible tsunami,  a single pine tree, which had once been a part of a large forest, was the only tree left standing. It was called “the miracle pine” and it initially survived the summer heat, the blowing seawater winds, and the cold snow. It encouraged people and gave them hope to survive. Its roots, however, had been fatally exposed to seawater and it finally died one year after the tsunami. People started to work on a big project to apply special treatments to keep the wood from decaying before restoring it to its original site. By using cloning technology, efforts have been made to create offspring of this miracle pine. It has become a symbol of the recovery and survival efforts of the people in this region.

I have come to the realization that there is something we must hand down to later generations and to the future world. On the exact day of the Big Tsunami I was in bed, in the hospital after surgery. However, I am now here and I am able to enjoy my art and my life again. These small pieces of art are my everyday “journals”. They are my way of life shown in Light and Shadow.

I am writing this on Mother’s Day and I feel a sense of gratitude. My 98-year-old mother helps me cut the paper for my art. I feel thankful for my family and my friends. I am also grateful to the ARC artists who continue to encourage me to make art.

Image: Chiyeko Yuki