Body Movements and Traces of Gaze Unbound by Attributes | Uyeda Ayami Solo Exhibition: “Translucent Outlines, Dazzling Light”

<Artist Statement>

Using scenes reflected in window panes and shop windows as a motif, I think about the distance from my body and my relationships with others.
The outline of the body reflected in the glass takes my own shape, yet my physical sensation is not there. An untouchable outline of a body—one that feels like both myself and someone else—overlaps with and dissolves into the cityscape.
Day by day, our bodies and behaviors are fitted into attributes by language. However, I also think that the parts left behind and unexpressed in that attempt to fit into language were precisely the shapes I needed.
A form that can remain ambiguous; a moment that feels like touching an untouchable body.
I paint as if reaching out to touch that outline.

– Uyeda Ayami

Held from September 26, 2026 at Feel Records Kyoto Hanare’s “Gallery Nikai,” the solo exhibition Translucent Outlines, Dazzling Light features the work of Uyeda Ayami. In conjunction with this exhibition, we spoke with the artist about her background and the key highlights of the show.

Relating to People Beyond Words

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Uyeda Ayami. I studied Western painting at Seian University of Art and Design, and I have continued to create artwork and remain active as an artist after graduation.

What originally led you to start painting?

I have loved drawing since I was a child. I drew illustrations throughout elementary and middle school, which naturally led me to attend an art high school. In high school, being in an environment where creating art was taken for granted—and surrounded by people who were far more talented than I was—made me reflect on why I specifically wanted to paint.

During that time, I received feedback on my artwork from a student in another class whom I had barely spoken to before. Even without knowing who they were as a person, I was deeply moved and fascinated by the fact that the world I had depicted could resonate with someone else. I felt that I wanted to paint because of how incredible it was to form connections with people that transcend words.

Could you share any artists or works that have influenced you?

When I was a sophomore in college, I read To Us Who Are the “Dying” Type and discovered the poet Tahi Saihate. I particularly love the afterword of Our Ordinary, Which Is Not Just Cute, But Simply Cute, and I often think that this is the kind of work I want to create.

It talks about connections that can only form between specific individuals—the kind of relationships that cannot be easily defined before giving them a name. As I get older, I realize that leaving ambiguous relationships unnamed requires far more energy and is much harder than I expected, but it reminds me of how important it is to treasure them.

What do you express through your artwork?

Using photographs I took myself as motifs, I create my work not to recreate landscapes, but to reach out and touch once more, through the act of painting, the experience of being in that space and what I was observing at that moment.

On larger canvases, I draw a grid and paint section by section to preserve the movement of my gaze from day to day. Rather than rendering every motif clearly, I leave parts unpainted to reveal shapes, or focus on just one section—keeping things at a threshold where they are somewhat identifiable, yet remaining mysterious.

Affirming Ambiguous Gradations Unbound by Attributes

What is the concept behind your solo exhibition at Gallery Nikai?

The text featured at the beginning of this article serves as the core concept. My work begins with moments in daily life when my reflection appears on glass windows or shopfronts as I walk through the city. Usually, we only see our own hands and feet within our field of vision, without giving much thought to how they connect to form our full physical presence, or what kind of social attributes are attached to that appearance.

However, when I see my body reflected in glass, my height, movements, and clothing suddenly feel objective, almost like looking at a stranger. It forces me to reflect on how I might be classified as a person within society.

Attributes defined by language can serve as an identity that makes life easier, but they can also make us feel pressured to act in accordance with them, basing our actions on those very labels. We might even catch ourselves thinking that we should not do anything out of character for that attribute.

Instead, I want to embrace the ambiguous gradations within us—the parts that fit a label, and the parts that do not. I keep searching for ways to paint those shifting, bodily movements as traces of where my eyes have lingered.

What kinds of works will be on display at this solo exhibition?

I might be creating works that are softer and paler than my previous ones, as if capturing something within a dazzling light. Rather than an ambiguity where things are simply out of focus, I am aiming to build canvases that sway and fluctuate even while searching for form. They are currently in full production, so I truly hope they will be safely displayed for the show.

What does expression mean to you, Uyeda-san?

It might be a language that is essential for engaging with society and others. I believe that artwork and art allow us to share things that cannot be conveyed through words alone, so I hope to continue expressing myself in whatever form I can.

Uyeda Ayami Solo Exhibition: “Translucent Outlines, Dazzling Light”

Dates: Saturday, September 26 – Sunday, October 4, 2026
Closed: Sunday, September 27 – Tuesday, September 29
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00
*Closed at 17:00 on the final day only
Admission: Free