Kyoko Imazu: Artist Statement

I think about how we construct stories through our memories of people and places and the way our sense of identity and memory are intertwined. Sometimes memory is like a constellation map where we anchor meaning. And sometimes we use it as a guide to direct our paths and discover who we are but it is also mixed with our own imaginations and dreams. It can be real but also imagined and I find this blurred distinction very fascinating.

In this exhibition, I focus on my memories from childhood where I always drew strange creatures, animals and humans for my mother. I used them to tell my ‘Secret Stories’ on themes such as life, death, regeneration as well as belonging and alienation.

“Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide” - Hope Edelman

Image: Title: Dark Crawlers I	Image: Title: Underground II	Image: Title: Underground I	Image: Title: Dark Crawlers II
Image: Title: Mountain Song	Image: Title: Monsters at Home	Image: Title: Invasion	Image: Title: Flyway I
Image: Title: Flyway II	Image: Title: Snatchers	Image: Title: After the rain	Image: Title: Ritual
Image: Title: Red Hair	Image: Title: Furball	Image: Title: Six Legged Monster	Image: Title: Furball 2
Image: Title: Rokuro Kubi	Image: Title: Cat Rabbit	Image: Title: Furball 3	Image: Title: One eye