Mari Yanagida creates depictions of women who exhibit an overwhelmingly strong sense of presence. She considers the women in her paintings to be something akin to religious figures, and expresses them with the greatest possible strength, beauty and transcendence. Yanagida describes this as an act of fully disclosing the self which has been laid bare in the paintings. By adopting this approach, she reexamines herself as a person through her creative process. This will be Yanagida's first solo exhibition at Artglorieux, and she has put her all into each and every work on display.

 

Statement from the Artist

I consider the women in my paintings to be something akin to religious figures. They are stronger and more beautiful than anyone and anything, and they have the ability to transcend all other forces. Simply put, my goal is to paint overwhelmingly powerful figures. When I depict the expressions and features of these women, who overwhelm and sometimes frighten me, their eyes command me to refrain from thinking about how other people will perceive the images as I paint, and instead fully disclose myself which has been laid bare in the images.

 

Ultimately, however, each of them is just a normal human woman, so there is no reason to idolize her or petition her help. My role is to sense the deeply penetrating gazes of each woman and use it as an opportunity to reexamine my own self which has been revealed to me, and thus move steadily closer to my own truth. This is the only way I know how to paint.

— Mari Yanagida