In her current body of work Aya Uekawa chose to utilize a more dramatic and complex palette in addition to quadrupling the size of any of her previous paintings. In one large painting an all-encompassing woman is holding herself up while intertwined in an opulent chandelier. Her forearm is enlarged to sustain the weight of her own body. Aya utilizes a broad array of cultural legends and myths, incorporating the ideas into a situation in which ethnicity is largely ambiguous. The figures represent Aya’s vision as a woman in a society that is both protective and restrictive. The expressions of each figure imply a mixed psyche of comfort and insecurity in both Eastern and Western societies.

Aya Uekawa was born in Japan and currently lives in New York. This will be her second solo show at Kravets/Wehby Gallery. Last year she had a solo show at Arndt and Partner in Berlin. Her work was recently included in “Making a Home” curated by Eric Shiner at the Japan Society in New York and “The Incomplete” at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York. Her work is currently included in “Wall Rockets” curated by Lisa Dennison at Flag in New York. She was recently featured in W Magazine as well as in Newsweek Japan, Vogue Nippon and Marie Claire Japan. She will have her fist solo museum show in May 2009 at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati.