Artist Statement

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I combine figurative and natural forms to create sculptures that exert quiet, physical, and psychological presences. I am interested in using tactile, physically assertive forms to describe the psyche- not a specific emotion or thought, but rather a state of concentration and introspection. Over time, I have been developing a lexicon of symbols and poses that draw from a wide variety of art, literature, and cultures including my own Japanese-American heritage. The allegorical and dreamlike imagery in my work is also derived from a blend of personal experiences, family history, and dreams. 

 

I recognize that our interior lives are mysterious and unknowable, and in response, I combine symbols and gestures in a way that allows for multiple meanings while still retaining a sense of inexplicability. I am especially drawn to symbols from nature, like weather patterns and mountain formation, because these are shaped by unseen forces and by a combination of rules and circumstances outside the reach of huma

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Biography

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Sachiko Akiyama’s sculptures exert a quiet, physical and psychological presence. She is interested in how tactile, physically assertive forms can describe the psyche – not a specific emotion of though, but rather a state of concentration and introspection. Akiyama, who received her MFA from Boston University, has exhibited her work widely, including at the Akino Fuku Museum (Japan), the University of Maine Museum of Art, the Kohler Arts Center and Smack Mellon. Akiyama was awarded a Joan Mitchell Award, and Artist Resource Trust Grant, and the Piscataqua Artist Advancement Grant. Her work is in the permanent collections of the deCordova Museum and Gordon College. She currently resides in Portsmouth, NH.

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