Menu
Miya Kosowick Mawatari (b. Prince George, Canada) is a half-Japanese Canadian artist based in London, UK.
I navigate between the controlled and natural world through the exploration of the ways in which inside and outside (uchi-soto) relationships manifest through space and identity. Uchi-soto (内外), which translates to “inside” and “outside” is a Japanese philosophical concept that defines not only physical space in Japanese architecture but also social dynamics, akin to ingroups and outgroups. I search for the inbetween of this binary.
My installations build a world around my paintings; the paintings themselves becoming portals to an imagined elsewhere, cohabiting with sculptural objects from fragmented histories. Through combining found and made objects, I investigate the subjective and fluctuating perceptions of maintenance, heritage and cultural authenticity.
A muted colour palette has emanated from the environments of my upbringing; an amalgamation of the urban, rural, and natural landscapes of British Columbia, Japan, and the UK. Through simple abstract and figurative gestures on fragile sheets of rice paper, canvas and wood sealed in wax, I create future archaeological traces and memories leading to an undefined realm outside of time.