Artist Statement: "I believe that there are a lot of miracles in our lives. For me, Art is a conversation with God and also a reminder of miracles. This series is to create paintings which remind people, “Miracles happen around us.” I had some miraculous experiences in my past life. They were the greatest moments that had saved my life. I am not religious, but I believe that miracle is a sign from God. I have created artworks which represent our connection to something greater than ourselves. I painted this piano after being inspired by miraculous experiences. In 2004, after suffering from some problems, I thought about committing suicide. When my mind was about to break, my friend recommended that I go to a shrine, so I visited the shrine. I was standing on a bridge and looking at a pond. After a while, I saw a white feather floating far from me. Without thinking, I muttered in my mind “If I still have the right to live, if I still can be happy, please come to me.” At that moment, the feather stopped beyond my gaze for a few seconds and began to turn drawing a circle in the air. I prayed to the feather again, “Please come to me.” Suddenly it flew straight toward me and stopped on my palm. I was speechless while holding the feather in my hand. After a while, I started walking and sat down on a bench. I was still amazed for a few minutes, but suddenly tears welled up in my eyes. I thought, “I was allowed to live. God is watching me, saving me.” I could not stop crying with gratitude. After this experience, I realized that a feather is a sign from God. In 2012, I moved to New York to learn English. I had never painted in Japan and I had never imagined that I would be a painter, but I started painting coincidently. When I paint, I always feel like the predecessors are giving me opportunities to paint and teaching me how to paint, what to see and what to paint. And so, I have never thought that the paintings which I painted are mine. When I received this piano to paint, I was so impressed by its beautiful figure and nostalgic sound. I painted a lot of feathers and tried to represent miraculous moments in our lives. I appreciate the chance to be a part of this piano. I hope that this piano helps people feel great happiness in their lives."
Yuki Sakaguchi is a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, actress and Reiki practitioner specializing in spiritual aesthetics. Yuki was born in Wakayama, Japan, and in 2012, she moved to New York to rediscover her life abandoning her twenty year career as an actress and ten-year career as a graphic designer. On November 2012, Yuki stopped by the Art Students League of New York and felt an unexplainable connection to the school. Two months later, she got into the school and started to learn painting from Ronnie Landfield. At the end of 2013, Yuki remembered a book that she bought in Japan and had not read yet. After opening the book The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, she was astonished because it said, “This is a letter for the students of Art Students League.” Yuki believes the book brought her to the school. When Yuki paints, she lets go of her thoughts, as her mind escapes from reality. Out of nowhere, a burst of energy possesses her entire being helping her create her work. For Yuki, painting is always unpredictable, as she purposely works in a non-objective manner to reach something brilliant. During this journey, her objective is to always have a conversation with God.
