Yuko Okabe
Starting with zany and colorful comics on the back of her father’s work papers, Yuko has since honed her artistic skills into stories and editorials that evoke whimsy, humility, and curiosity. In addition to her formally-trained illustration practice, she explores interdisciplinary collaborations to advocate for “arts-thinking’’ in non-traditional settings. Such endeavors have led her to research and team opportunities in fields such as healthcare, community development, education, technology, and social work. She earned her BFA in Illustration with Honors from the Rhode Island School of Design and has received recognition from Society of Illustrators LA, Creative Quarterly, BallPit Mag, Light Grey Art Lab, and 3x3 - The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration. Her illustration practice involves freelancing with various nonprofit, commercial, startup, and independent clients as well as pursuing personal work through paintings and short-form narratives. From 2019-2021, she was an Artist Fellow with North Shore Community Development Coalition through Enterprise Community Partners Rose Fellowship, a national program which places designers and cultural practitioners with affordable housing organizations. She's a proud auntie, has an oatmeal Instagram, and is hoping that one day she'll learn how to ride a bike.
藝術家簡介自從Yuko在她父親的工作文件背面畫出滑稽而多彩的漫畫以來，Yuko 一直運用藝術來喚起奇思妙想、謙遜和好奇心的故事。除了接受過培訓的插畫實踐之外，她探索跨學科合作，並倡導在非傳統藝術環境中可有的「藝術思維」。通過努力她獲取了在醫療、社區發展、教育、技術和社會工作等領域的合作機會。她獲得羅德島設計學院的插圖榮譽學士學位的同時，也獲得了Society of Illustrators LA, Creative Quarterly, BallPit Mag, Light Grey Art Lab, and 3x3 - The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration 的認可。她的繪畫涉及個人興趣與短篇故事，同時是從事各種非營利、商業、初創公司的自由職業者。從 2019 年到 2021 年，Yuko獲得了North Shore Community Development Coalition 的藝術家獎學金 — 一個將設計師和文化從業者安置在經濟適用房的國家項目。在這之外，她是一位以侄女為驕傲的阿姨，有一個關於燕麥片的Instagram，並希望有一天她能學會騎腳踏車。
Yuko Okabe
おばあちゃんの家 Grandma’s House
Gouache and gel pen on watercolor paper
6 x 10A snapshot inside my grandmother’s house in Ofuna, Japan. My memories of this place involve a mixture of traditional items – like her ancestral altar – with more contemporary items from our lives and treats from our family excursions. Even with this contrasting mix of objects, in retrospect, there was always this sense of belonging and comfort with the presence of loved ones.
自述我祖母在日本大船家裏的一張快照。我對這個地方的回憶涉及傳統及現代物品與風格的結合，像她祖先的祭壇和家庭外出旅行的紀念品。回想起來，這些物品雖然對比鮮明，伴隨著親人的身影，總還有家的歸屬感、舒適感。
Yuko Okabe
A Cord to Nowhere (How I've Given Up My Belly Button Many Times to the Thunder Gods)
Gouache on watercolor paper
7 x 11
“I wrote a poem based around the Japanese folklore of Raijin and Raiju, the thunder god and its dog-like companion respectively. In the lore, Raiju descends from the sky and hides in children’s belly buttons. When the almighty Raijin finds the hiding Raiju, the god strikes the poor pup and consequently destroys the child’s belly button. In my poem, I tell the story of a lonesome woman who masochistically looks forward to hosting Raiju in her navel as a way for her to feel a connection to her culture even for a fleeting, stormy second. I exhibited this piece with Creatives of Color Boston and Multicultural Arts Center.” — Yuko Okabe