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Update February 2024: Totally forgot to update this page again, last year turned out to be very difficult, but I’m finally back into my art practise and actually feeling good about it! Mostly I’m working on abstract works, but I recently also did some volunteer portraits for the RSPCA’s Poorly Drawn Pets fundraiser. Here’s a look at them, followed by my older works below 🙂
Update February 2023: I’ve now got my own private studio! Making some changes to my creative processes this year. At some point I plan to rejig this page, but in the meantime here’s some of my past arty shenanigans!
In 2022 I joined Underground ARTspace where I finally had my own studio space to work in, instead of trying to negotiate with the clutter at home. It had a huge impact on my ability to be creative and I shared that journey with my cult over on Patreon. My year at Underground ARTspace really did help me get back into art again, as it makes a big difference to have a dedicated space, and paying rent also motivated me to keep up a weekly art routine. You can see some of my new and old artwork in my shop – this art was displayed at the Underground ARTspace Creative Open weekend 2022!
My studio is having an open weekend!
For some older art, please check out my blog post:
https://www.destroyermariko.com/2018/02/09/art-i-made-last-year/
In 2016, I began the Master of Art course at UNSW. I’ve always had an interest in creative endeavours, but after the death of my grandparents in 2015, I found myself thrown back into my worst episode of depression to date. Until this point in my life, I hadn’t considered art to be a real option for me to pursue. It was only through experiencing intense suicidal ideations that I began to realise that I had nothing to lose by following my interests into this field. I don’t know what the future will bring or whether I could some day make a living from my art, but during that crisis, art helped me live. While completing the course, I was able to explore the issues of my mental health, particularly in the artwork above. It examines death and mourning in human cultures, taking into account my half-Japanese Australian background, as well as my immersion in the age of social media. If you would like to read more about this artwork, I’ve shared the full description on the video’s YouTube page.
Below are some more examples of art I’ve produced in the past. For the most part, I used to work on developing my painting skills, and at the time found the process to be calming and meditative when I felt down. However, I’ve since changed the way I work with paint as I began to be frustrated by my tendency towards perfectionism, and this is reflected in the more chaotic painting technique combined with text based elements that I now pursue. I also like to branch out, and have occasionally incorporated sculptural, electronic, and interactive elements in my work as well. Click on the images below to find out more about each.
