disaster scene with woman carrying injured child

Harbinger of Late Winter Day's Dusk

Jave Yoshimoto

Jave Yoshimoto creates brilliantly-colored gouache paintings that infuse traditional japanese prints with contemporary depictions of modern disasters. He entices his viewers with stunning, colored-block images and captures their undivided attention with poignant depictions of destruction, both natural and manmade. He works in a graphic style reminiscent of Japanese Manga, loading his work with the saturated imagery and emotion often associated with modern-day media coverage of such events. Born in Japan to Chinese parents, but raised in America, Yoshimoto often explores the convergence of tradition and contemporary society in his work and is influenced by pop culture in America, China, and Japan. Yoshimoto created a series of paintings addressing environmental destruction by humans. In “Evanescent Encounter,” he paints a blood-red sky above a sea of swirling toxic color leaking from an offshore oil rig that burns in the distance. He depicts a man attempting to remove pools of crude oil from the shore, as an oil-soaked pelican and Godzilla look on. In another work in the series, he presents two mermaids on a beach that is heavily saturated with garbage, material waste and deceased wildlife. In these works, Godzilla, who is often used by Yoshimoto to represent himself, appears to be as powerless as the other victims of the unfolding disaster, despite his size and power. This feeling of powerlessness is put into words in “Evanescent Encounter,” as Yoshimoto asks and answers a haunting question: “Where would you possibly go? I am seeking a changeless place.” In his most monumental work in the disaster series, Yoshimoto created a 30-foot scroll entitled, “Baptism of Concrete Estuary,” whose alarming juxtaposition of the idyllic and the disastrous contrasts brilliantly-colored landscapes with scenes of the destruction caused by the tsunami and earthquake in Northeastern Japan. In other works, the source of the disaster is more ambiguous, but the havoc unleashed is every bit as dramatic. Both a nod to his cultural heritage and an introspective look into humanity in the face of natural and man-made disaster, Yoshimoto’s paintings are beautiful studies of reciprocal destruction between people and the natural environment.

Explore the Gallery

inkblot in the form of insect with wolf profiles in negative space

image of mountain with reflection in lake

Evanescent Encounter

In this work, Jave Yoshimoto depicts the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its horrifying impact on coastal ecosystems. Oil spills inflict trauma on wildlife and their habitats. They can also have a profound impact on humans. In thisenthralling TED talk, environmental activist John Francis describes how a 1971 oil spill in the San Francisco Bay propelled him on a journey to discover his purpose in life. Along the way, he gave up driving in order to be free of fossil fuels, and chose to be silent for seventeen years.

painting of mermaid amid beach trash and dead wildlife

Venus of Trash Isle

The world’s oceans contain an astounding amount of plastic and other forms of trash, the presence of which is disrupting marine ecosystems and harming wildlife. In addition, as plastic breaks down in the marine environment, it is ingested by fish, ultimately contaminating the seafood that winds up on our dinner table. Learn more about the crisis in our oceans in thisTED talk by Captain Charles Moore.

painting of waves and debris landing on shore

Vultures of Fragments Past

In the words of the artist: “My work takes on the ephemerality of news and information and how the emotions we bring to each tragedy in the news cycle are swept away by the wave of information that floods the media. I address this social amnesia through my art with the work acting as a social memory for tragic events so quickly forgotten in our information age.”

Why Godzilla? Yoshimoto was born in Japan to Chinese parents and immigrated to the United States when he was 10 years old. “Growing up, I was fascinated by the giant monster films, but one thing I noticed is that wherever Godzilla traveled, he was always attacked by the locals. Much like Godzilla, I have been a victim of stereotype and racism in the various parts of the country.” Throughout the “Disaster” series, Godzilla appears as a personal symbol of the artist, serving as both a witness to, and victim of, catastrophes that seem to render him powerless.

flood waters flowing onto highway near Brooklyn Bridge

In A New York Minute

Will climate change increase the frequency of extreme weather events? In this article, Environmental Defense Fund discusses the impact of the changing climate on hurricanes, heat waves, drought, floods and winter weather. In the case of hurricanes, scientists believe that global warming is making them more dangerous, with stronger wind speeds, more rain, and greater storm surge contributing to greater destructive potential.

Numinous Lethologica

The hunting of whales and dolphins (cetaceans) dates back thousands of years. Whaling is still a central part of certain indigenous cultures, such as the Inuit culture of the Canadian Arctic. The gruesome scene depicted here, however, highlights the callousness of slaughtering these gentle, intelligent creatures for commercial purposes. Despite widespread opposition, nations such as Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to hunt whales and to advocate for the legalization of commercial whaling. Learn more about cetacean species and the effort to protect these graceful marine mammals in this guide to whales and dolphins.

Baptism of Concrete Estuary

In the artist’s words: “’Baptism of Concrete Estuary’ is the culmination of my knowledge and techniques. My intention in creating a 30-foot scroll painting was that the audience would be able to have an intimate look at the painting as in traditional Chinese and Japanese scroll, while also feeling overwhelmed by the massiveness of the paper in comparison to the individual. Employing images of the overwhelming power of the Japanese tsunami and earthquake, I hoped to inspire empathy in the painting’s viewers. I used visual color blocks and large fields to draw in the audience for a closer view, while the finer details of the piece keep the audience fixated and allow them to feel immersed in the painting themselves.”

Featured Actions

Jave Yoshimoto’s work addresses the profound devastation of environmental and natural disasters and the fleeting emotional response created by saturated media coverage of those events. If you are inspired by his work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.