Sayako Dairiki: Mended Memories

Exhibit dates: June 27 – August 20, 2023

Reception: Friday, July 14, 6 – 9 PM

Artist Talk: Saturday, August 5, 2 – 3 PM (FREE)

Sayako Dairiki approaches painting with a focus on mindfulness. Following her adoption of sashiko or visible mending to fix holes in several of her garments and blankets, Sayako began to echo the stitching pattern on canvas. Sashiko is a traditional Japanese mending technique practiced for centuries, in which repeated stitching in geometric shapes or lines was done to strengthen fabrics and to ward off costly future repairs. At home during the pandemic and unable to visit her native Japan, she began to repair holes with this technique, as well as using patches from vintage kimonos. In the process, the artist began to see connections to different generations of her family, and how ‘mending’ was a metaphor for healing and reconnecting with others. 

Sponsored by Tom Doyle & Kathy Joseph

Image: Dairiki, “For the Words She Couldn’t Say”