Harbinger of Late Winter Day’s Dusk | Gouache on Paper | 32" x 41" | 2012
In a New York Minute | Gouache on Paper | 26" x 41" | 2013
Artist Statement: My work takes on the ephemerality of news and information and how the emotions we bring to each tragedy in the news cycle are swept away by the wave of information that floods the media. I address this social amnesia through my art with the work acting as a social memory for tragic events so quickly forgotten in our information age. Employing images of the overwhelming power of natural disasters to inspire empathy in the painting’s viewers, I used visual color blocks and large fields to draw in the audience for a closer view, while the finer details of the piece keep the audience fixated and allow them to feel immersed in the painting themselves. My belief is that art should be accessible to its viewers through human tales of struggle and survival as played out in the prevalent social amnesia of the information age.
Jave Yoshimoto is an artist of multi-cultural background. He was born in Japan to Chinese parents and immigrated to California at a young age. Yoshimoto has lived in various parts of the country, which has influenced his artistic practice. He believes in creating works that are socially conscious and true to his authentic self. Yoshimoto received his Bachelor’s degree from University of California Santa Barbara in Studio Art, Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Painting and Drawing and Masters of Art in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his Master of Fine Arts in Painting at Syracuse University. Yoshimoto has exhibited in over 15 states across the country, with solo exhibitions in New York City and Seattle, received a letter of achievement from the United Nations, and his works has appeared on multiple publications. Yoshimoto currently works as a director and assistant professor of art at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.