“Each of these events is a microcosm. They are all part of a larger process.” - Jave Yoshimoto
In Tempestuous Microcosm, Jave Yoshimoto offers a series of paintings and sculptures on the theme of humanitarian crisis.
Drawing from his own experiences volunteering with the refugee crisis in Greece, collecting stories in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, and researching the devastation of the Japanese tsunami of 2011, Yoshimoto's eye is finely tuned to the particulars of human trauma in scales both vast and intimate.
With dizzying vividness, Yoshimoto's work references aesthetics as diverse as the 18th century woodblock prints of Hokusai and the frenetic smartphone journalism of today.
While Tempestuous Microcosm encourages viewers to access their own reserves of empathy, it also challenges us to consider ways in which scenes of disaster are often consumed as entertainment, only to be quickly swept away by a wave of new headlines and other distractions.
Jave Yoshimoto
Jave Yoshimoto is an artist and educator of multi-cultural background. He was born in Japan to Chinese parents and immigrated to the United States at a young age.
He has since traveled and lived in various parts of the country which influenced his artistic practice. He believes in creating art works that are socially conscious and true to his authentic self.
Yoshimoto received his Bachelors from University of California Santa Barbara in Studio Art, his Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Painting and Drawing and Masters of Art in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his Masters of Fine Arts in Painting at Syracuse University.
He has experiences working as an art therapist/mental health professional in Chicago, IL, as well as being a painting instructor at Syracuse University and as a teaching artist in Seattle, WA. He has worked with various age groups and diverse ethnic populations in both rural and urban settings. As an artist, he served as an artist-in-residence at various artist colonies across the United States.
Jave Yoshimoto was a member of the 2015 Union Fellowship cohort.
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