Artist Statement

Changing Sea

Changing Sea is a series of pencil sketches, expressing the afterimages that were left on my retina and the mental pictures that formed in my mind from my everyday life on the island. It is almost like the universe itself is auto-dictating through me, putting the scenery and poems on the paper.

Ebb and flow, the waves shake my body, and I become more human

The cave is turned inside out, erupting from within

Mantle starts moving, tectonic plates flipping

The Mariana Trench swallows up Mount Everest

My sunburned skin, a stark contrast against my heart

Can human senses detect the mass at the hypocenter?

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, concern for marine pollution prompted me to create a piece of artwork inspired by the sea of Fukushima. Ten years have passed since then, and the same ocean has transformed into something intangible by countless waves. I’m sure it merges and dissipates into the sea of Guam, where I currently reside. We are undeniably protected by the ocean. Grateful for its mighty embrace, I will continue to draw.

Yumiko Furukawa

Overview

In August 2019, Furukawa left Tokyo and moved to Guam. She continues to draw pencil sketches while imagining the waves of the Pacific Ocean, bedrock, abyssal sea, strata, the mantle, and the movements of the seismic centers of earthquakes. She faces the sketchbook, capturing the duality of black and white, light and shade, front and back, and psychological light and darkness. When drawing, Furukawa is in touch with the immense energy of the Earth itself. Even though that communication is visible to no one, she translates that sensation into poetry. The ocean that connects Fukushima to Guam is one of the most important subjects in her creation.