About

Ellie Yanagisawa (they/them/jelly) is a queer, non-binary Japanese American artist living and working on unceded ancestral Piscataway lands, also known as Baltimore, MD. 

On one hand, my art practice provides a space for me to unlearn all that is not "me". In other words, my art practice helps me to observe with compassionate curiosity the many masks I have been forced to wear by white, heteronormative, capitalist patriarchy. Why do I wear these? When did I first start? How have I been complicit? What has been the effect? With every piece I make, I am able to sit for longer bouts in discomfort. I process and finally shed, which then leads me to the next question: what and who lies beneath these layers? 

Which brings me to the other hand of my practice, where my creative expression helps me to remember. With newfound clarity, I remember that there are vast worlds and experiences beyond the ones that I experience with my five senses and filters. I remember who I am outside of current oppressive systems. My process of making art helps me to move beyond the illusory binary and my human limits, and explore nuanced spaces--the microscopic, the queer, the cosmic, the surreal, the spiritual, the subconscious, the ancestral. This exploration helps me understand the delicate balance, the complex interdependence of these systems and my place within it all. My art practice helps me remember that we are in relationship with something divine and much bigger than ourselves. We all have space and a place within which to grow as much as we want without hindering or extracting from another's existence. This self-reflection in turn expands my intrapersonal and interpersonal competence and deepens my solidarity with everyone on this path.

When people view my art, I hope that it leads them into the surreal canyons of the mind through a visual meditation. Perhaps, in those in between spaces, viewers will explore their own consciousness, communing with a boundless space of creativity previously inaccessible. The more people are in touch with their imaginations unleashed, the more we can collectively envision, then boldly actualize a future that is radically inclusive and equitable for all.