Artist Statement
I am inspired by nature and its processes. Animals and plants seem ordinary to us at first glance, yet curiosity and observation reveal a universe of complex, intelligent systems. The respect and awe I feel for nature, however, is complicated by the realization that we drastically transformed and polluted it to a point where most of its inhabitants are endangered or extinct. I contemplate this reality in my work, and the results capture contrasting energies of hope and despair.
My artwork ranges from sculptural installations, to animation and drawing. I explore the intersection of technology with fine art, often bringing together their methodologies in one artwork, such as installing digital sculpture with organic materials such as soil. I am responding to our current landscape by investigating the coexistence of nature with the synthetic and the human-engineered. I also juxtapose traditional art with unexpected material choices and approaches to break boundaries and explore new aesthetics.
Bio
Yuko Oda’s artwork has been exhibited at SIGGRAPH Asia 2016 (Macao), Dumbo Arts Festival (NY), Calvin-Morris Gallery (NY), Beijing Today Art Museum, Maki Fine Arts (Tokyo), Annemarie Sculpture Garden and Art Center (MD), the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, among others. Oda’s animation, “Take Off” was a finalist in the international animation competition “Artport: Cool Stories for When the Planet Gets Hot”, and screened internationally, including the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, DIA Center (NY), Art Supermarket (Stockholm), Art Miami Basel (FL), Bridge Art Fair (NY), Diva Art Fair (Paris) and Scope Art Fair (Basel/NY). Oda was an artist resident at the Vermont Studio Center, Chashama North Residency, Goetemann Residency, and Byrdcliffe Artist Residency.
Oda obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University. After living and working as an artist and educator in New York for 15 years, Oda moved to Boston in 2017. She currently teaches in the Art and Design Department at University of Massachusetts Lowell.