Abstract Artist — Tokyo
From emptiness, into the present.
空（くう）から、今を生きる。
Story
Six chapters, from 2021 to today, each in the context of its year — nature, the cosmos, life; then inward, to the inner self; and on to Kū, time, and being. Read in order, the works tell one story.
自然・宇宙・命Nature · Cosmos · Life
28 works
宇宙・力づけCosmos · Empowerment
7 works
人の内面に・承認The inner self · Acknowledgement
7 works
人の内面に・パワフルにThe inner self · With force
7 works
空のこと・人の内面にKū · The inner self
14 works
空のこと・時間に・存在にKū · Time · Being
16 works
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Every work is painted by hand, without AI.
Time cannot be seen. Yet it leaves traces — in wood, in stone, in fossils, and within us.
時間は目には見えない。樹木や石、風化した物質には、その記憶が刻まれている。
Saya
Concept
Kū (空) is the inner sanctuary that appears when the mind is freed from thought and from the past. Since 2021, Saya has painted from that place — in alcohol ink, sumi, acrylic and gold — seeking to convey, through overwhelming strength and delicacy, true freedom and the power to live in the present.
My work originates from the philosophy of 空 Kū while exploring the traces left by time. Ancient trees, driftwood, fossils, stones, weathered metals, and aged wood embody the overwhelming presence of time. Encountering them often leads us into a state of Kū — a profound stillness beyond thought. By bringing together forms that exist across different timescales on a single canvas, I explore how time, memory, and existence intersect, leaving space for each viewer to find their own meaning.
Alcohol ink, sumi, acrylic, oil, resin, crystal powder, metal leaf — and even fragments of meteorites — on canvas, panel and paper. Every work is made by hand, without AI.
Artist
Saya is a Japanese abstract artist based in Tokyo. Born in Yokohama, she studied textile design at Musashino Art University and worked as a designer in sports apparel before turning to painting. She has also practised European porcelain painting for more than twenty years. In 2021 she encountered alcohol ink, and has since worked across ink, sumi, acrylic, oil, resin and metal leaf — red, black and gold on canvas, with Wa (Japanese sensibility) and rock as her two axes.
Her work centres on 空 Kū, the inner sanctuary that appears when the mind is freed from thought and the past, and, since 2026, on the Trace of Time — ancient trees, driftwood and stone that outlast us. She has exhibited in Milan, Rome, Turin, Crete, Luxembourg, Monaco, Madrid, Dubai, Shanghai, New York, Hollywood, Seoul and Melbourne. In 2025 her work was shown at the Oscars VIP Gift Lounge in Hollywood, and she performed live painting with a sword-performance troupe at New York Fashion Week. Her paintings are often described as powerful and full of life.
Wa and Rock — Japanese sensibility, and the energy of rock.
Japan Alcohol Ink Art Association (diploma) · Japan Porcelain Painters Association · IAVA — Italian International Visual Artists Association
Red is the color of life. It embodies passion, strength, and the primal energy that pulses through all living things.
赤はいい。力が沸いてくる。
Saya
Exhibitions & Press
From Milan in 2021 to Seoul and Melbourne in 2026 — a selection of exhibitions and fairs.
The pages as published — open to read.
Brochures made for fairs and exhibitions — turn the pages.
“Art is a living thing; the way we see it changes every day. We, too, live anew each day. Now is always the peak — life exists only now.”
Even after a tree withers and falls, its presence remains.
樹木は枯れ、倒れ、生き絶えたとしても、なお一層の存在感に圧倒される。
Saya
Commissions & Shop
Paintings for hotels, ryokan, restaurants and homes; folding screens and garments; live painting with musicians and performers. Each commission begins with a conversation.
Original paintings made for a specific space or person: interiors, hospitality and commercial spaces, and private homes. Size, ground (canvas, panel, paper, silver leaf) and finish (resin, framing) are decided together.
Folding screens in collaboration with traditional makers, and painting on apparel and hagoita.
Performances with Tsugaru-shamisen and sword-performance troupes, for openings, festivals and events.
Available for gallery, hotel and temple exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
Currently on view
Original works and small pieces are available at the Saya Works shop. Framing can be arranged.
Visit the shopAn online alcohol-ink course (Fantist, in Japanese) and occasional in-person workshops in Tokyo and at exhibitions.
Online courseContact
For commissions, purchases, exhibitions and press, please use the form below or write to me directly. I read every message.