Flow Concept
Starting in 2016, Yani began developing a new series with a concept call Flow.
The concept came to her as part of everyday experiences -- practicing yoga, wall climbing, and painting, or just any experience in everyday life where you are there in a moment of concentration. In that concentration, she experience a joy of being. Everything comes together with little effort -- like playing a perfect music piece. That is the flow.
This flow also manifests itself in our physical bodies. The flow and movement of the human body is one of the greatest inspirations for Yani’s artwork. She translate those movement into colors, and flows of lines, through brush strokes, and shapes -- to manifest this flow and joy of being in yet another form.
Netsuke Dreams
This series is inspired by the beautiful tiny traditional Japanese sculptures known as Netsuke. I use the subject matter from these tiny sculptures and bring them to life in a new way.
My reimagining of this subject matter contrasts with traditional Netsuke in many profound ways. The use of large canvases instead of the traditional two inch sculptures allows one to see these themes and characters from a new and different perspective. By using pigments that were never present in the traditional ivory or wood sculptures and providing new environments for the characters to live in, I am able to create new worlds which I call “Netsuke Dreams”.
Throughout this process, I have enjoyed exploring the myths and art from the Japanese side of my ancestry.