Sawa Sakane is a Japanese-born artist based in Ottawa, Canada. Working primarily through drawing and painting, she creates a vivid world of imagined figures where human and animal identities intersect. Her practice combines the spontaneity of doodling with an exploration of individuality, belonging, and the relationships between living beings.

Born in Tokyo, Sawa brings a background in interior design to her use of colour, composition, and space. What began during the pandemic as a drawing for a friend’s daughter developed into her own brand, a practice encompassing original canvas works and artist-designed objects. Her work has been exhibited in Tokyo, New York, and Ottawa.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My work explores the boundaries we draw between ourselves and other living beings. Through imagined characters that move between human and animal forms, I consider how we recognise individuality, assign value, and experience connection.

I begin with a line and allow each figure to emerge intuitively. Bold colour and unexpected proportions give these characters a presence that is at once familiar and strange. The irregularities of the hand remain visible, allowing imperfection to become part of each figure’s identity.

Playfulness offers a way into questions of empathy and coexistence. Beneath the humour and colour is a conviction that every life has value. I invite viewers to spend time with these unfamiliar beings, recognize something of themselves, and reconsider who belongs within their circle of care.