Lovable Adorable Cells

Atsuko Yamagata’s “Lovable Adorable Cells” explores emotions and interventions in understanding life and all that it encompasses through the investigation of images that were drawn from microscopic cells. Here, the organisms would become representations of sentiments as they gather together in a commune-like ensemble. Through painting, the artist would emphasize the characteristics of every image and cell as they become symbols of universal emotions. Since the pandemic, Yamagata yearns to describe the invisible life present in the world through restaging the deepest and smallest biological units inside our bodies. Every cell that occupies our body contributes to the way we relate to ourselves and to society. 

In her art-making, Yamagata continues her process of allowing the flow of glue to organically dictate the shapes and forms in her works while natural elements such as air and water intervene. This manner allows uncontrolled elements in the composition. Thus, these imperfections constitute the genuine bearings that make us all human.