Artist
Born and raised in Tokyo, Maiko Sugano studied at the Graduate School of Woodworking, Tokyo University of the Arts, and received her Ph.D. in Fine Arts in 2014. Currently, she continues to devote herself to research and creating art in various ancient and simple places that give her a sense of belonging. After being invited to participate in the East Coast Land Arts Festival, she has fallen in love with the natural blend of mountains and ocean, as well as the simple and rustic folk culture of East Taiwan. She was invited to participate in the East Coast Land Arts Festival in 2018 again, and both times she left us with highly acclaimed installations of woodwork. And this year, she was invited to teach at the Department of Art Creation at Tainan University of the Arts.
Artwork
Work Title: Union
Location: Fanchuanbi, Green Island
Materials: Driftwood, Rebar
Driftwood, floating on the sea and traveling in the Pacific Ocean with currents, reminds us of the people who once rode the tides of Kuroshio from Taiwan to Japan. Trees once grew on the high mountains of the islands are swept into the ocean by the river and begin to wander. The forces of nature continue to reshape and change the appearance of dead trees day after day. Created from driftwood found on the shore of Green Island, this work, a series of linked spheres, resembling the chain of Pacific Islands strung together by the Kuroshio Tide, is a necklace dedicated to the earth.
