Contemporary Japanese Artist: Faith, Nature, and the Deer

Contemporary Japanese Artist: Faith, Nature, and the Deer

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary artist from northern Japan. In this artwork, she dramatically reimagines the coloration of the deer, subtly reflecting a Shinto perspective. While the spiritual element isn’t overt, it draws on the traditional belief in Shintoism that deer serve as messengers of the gods (or Kami).

In the artwork below, Utsumi pays homage to Kamisaka Sekka (1866–1942)...