Meet Aya Uekawa | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aya Uekawa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aya, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
Tich Nhat Hanh’s Heart of Buddha’s Teaching. It was an assigned book from one of my collage electives, and has been in my book shelf for a decade. I couldn’t understand it well due to my low skill in English and immaturity back then. Also I did not like Buddhism in Japan as it is based on masculinity and institutionalized to the point it lost its original Buddha’s teaching. I finally made my mind to read it before I threw it away. I was very lucky to do so. It teaches living in the moment whatever we are doing. It doesn’t matter either at a meeting or doing dishes. Worried about future or past is not meaningful to our lives, but we get stuck on these very often. In the similar topic, Kristen Neff’s Self-Compassion was very helpful to me. We are accustomed to self-criticism and self-doubt, which are sometimes developed from self-analysis and self-reflection. I was taught to be tough on myself, and it was mentally exhausting. Learning about self-compassion was a great help for my private and work life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The best lesson I learned is to be myself. It sounds generic and easy, but it is actually difficult to maintain. We have easy access to so many visual and intellectual influences today.When I see good art, I get influence from it immediately. It is impossible not to get some kind of influence. It can help developing something new, but most of the time, this spontaneous influence does not work well into my art. There is always a core value in my art and vision of life, but it is only slowly uncovered by tiny baby steps of self explorations through physicalizing my own creativity. What I am most proud of is the journey of my artistic development started from self-cure to semi-political and inclusiveness. It has become about acknowledging each other, and creating a bridge to understand and respect other cultures that are completely different in personal level, not just racial or geographical difference. There are still more boundaries and prejudices we are not yet aware of. For example, I learned there is a prejudice against people who are called ‘furry’ in the middle school where my daughter goes. It seems people find new prejudice that they can say ew about. We still have a lot of work to do beyond LGBTQ+.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Beacon, NY is a cute little historic town with a little Brooklyn twist. I would try to get in line for the vegan donuts place, Peaceful Provisions, if it’s weekend. Stroll and shop on Main Street, and just enjoy the little town filled with art and music. In addition to Dia:Beacon, a home of massive installation art, there is also KuBe Art Center where my partner curates shows, and local artists and musicians work in their studios. I would love to visit Olana, a home of a famous Hudson Valley landscape artist, Frederic Church. It has his family’s collection of artifacts from all over the world, and has majestic view of Hudson Valley. We can hike in the estate, and look at contemporary art outside and inside of the tasteful mansion. There is also Locust Grove and a 1850 mansion built by Samuel F. B. Morse who invented Morse Code. It is right on a busy road, but it is surprised to see how quiet it is in their 200 acre estate that borders Hudson River.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thinking back, so many people helped me in different ways. Without friends and teachers’ encouragement in my early childhood, I wouldn’t be as serious about art today. I appreciate all the people who gave me positive impact in my life and keep supporting my career. This question is a good reminder to appreciate something or someone everyday for what we have today. I often forget to do this great custom.

Website: Ayauekawa.com

Instagram: ayauekawa