Japanese mineral pigment on mulberry paper, 15 ¼" x 19 ½" framed

In new artworks on paper, Yuko Oda responds to our human dominated environment by drawing birds, plants, and other living organisms at moments of transformation and adaptation. Oda imagines what reality could be in the not so distant future, and natural beings take on supernatural forms. For example, Winged Detonations depict acute pressures on nature caused by human destruction and denial through the explosion, scattering, and iridescence of hummingbirds. In the series, Hummingbird Chrysanthemums, the bodies of flowers and birds become one, entangling and supporting one another to birth a new species. In Planetary Beings, floating forms demonstrate the interconnectedness of living things at a universal scale. And finally, Full Bloom captures a renaissance of this reality, where the species are coexisting and flourishing in this new version of nature. From destruction to rebirth, the works represent nature’s calamities, resilience, and power to heal.