Abstract Artist — Tokyo
Saya
From emptiness, into the present.空（くう）から、今を生きる。
IWorks
作品Works
Vermilion that burns, gold that settles, the brown of weathered wood. Each work is painted by hand, once, and cannot be painted again.
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
IIConcept
空Kū時の痕跡Trace of Time
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 and metal leaf on canvas, panel and paper. Every work is made by hand, without AI.
IIIArtist
作家Artist
Saya抽象画家Abstract Artist, Tokyo
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. 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, 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 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
IVExhibitions & Press
展示歴Exhibitions
From Milan in 2021 to Seoul and Melbourne in 2026 — a selection of exhibitions and fairs.
- 2026JAPONICA-JAPONICA “Rewrite”Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Gallery 2, Ikebukuro, TokyoGroup
- Independent Tokyo 2026Tokyo Port City Takeshiba, TokyoFair
- Permanent displayEXO Auto showroom, OsakaPermanent
- BANK ART FAIR 2026Gallery Bella booth, SeoulFair
- Works on viewMatcha Gallery, MelbournePermanent
- Art in Interior Project in MASTERWAL GINZAMasterwal Ginza, TokyoGroup
- “Sense 2026”GALLERY ANDLINKS 81, Ginza, TokyoGroup
- Two-person exhibition “Meguru Monogatari” (with Kumiko Miyoshi)Naraya Café, HakoneTwo-person
- 2025Sensō-ji Toshi-no-Ichi — Hagoita Art Booth (MIKAZUKI ART)Sensō-ji, TokyoGroup
- Solo exhibition “Saya — From Kū, Into the Present”DEN Gallery, Higashi-Nakano, TokyoSolo
- GREENROOM × RIVIERA Art FairRiviera Zushi Marina, KanagawaFair
- New York Fashion Week 2025 — live painting with the sword-performance troupe BuryuNew YorkLive painting
Exhibition views
掲載Press
- 2026makikomi.jp times — interview feature (Mar 2026)
- 2025République des Arts (France), Jun 2025
- 2022WE CONTEMPORARY 2022 (Italy), Nov 2022
受賞Awards
- 2024Second Prize, “Stepping into a World III” Open Call — Tenri Cultural Institute, New York
“She collects that glow of wonder hidden in every natural element and turns it into an ethereal and delicate chromatic dance.”
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
VCommissions & Shop
ご依頼Commissions
Paintings for hotels, ryokan, restaurants and homes; folding screens and garments; live painting with musicians and performers. Each commission begins with a conversation.
Commissioned works
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.
Screens, garments and objects
Folding screens in collaboration with traditional makers, and painting on apparel and hagoita.
Live painting
Performances with Tsugaru-shamisen and sword-performance troupes, for openings, festivals and events.
Exhibitions and venues
Available for gallery, hotel and temple exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
Currently on view
- Masterwal Ginza, Tokyo (Art in Interior Project)
- Matcha Gallery, Melbourne
- EXO Auto, Osaka
Online Shop
Original works and small pieces are available at the Saya Works shop. Framing can be arranged.
Visit the shopCourse & workshops
An online alcohol-ink course (Fantist, in Japanese) and occasional in-person workshops in Tokyo and at exhibitions.
Online courseVIContact
お問い合わせContact
For commissions, purchases, exhibitions and press, please use the form below or write to me directly. I read every message.