Mai Yokoyama

Under the question “What is real?”, I “output” images—born in the weightless space of digital drawing on an iPad—onto canvas using oil paint, giving them material form.

Digital tools allow for intuitive actions such as "copy," "paste," and "command + Z." These operations align naturally with the way we think in our daily lives, shaped by constant interaction with smartphones and computers. As a result, the act of “drawing” in digital space feels instinctive. However, when attempting to transfer such weightless, digital images—that is, thoughts—into the physical world through the material body of oil paint, a certain gap inevitably arises.

It is easy to search for a destination on a smartphone, but actually reaching it involves complexities and obstacles. In the same way, I believe that thinking in collaboration with machines and outputting that thought through the physical body closely reflects how I exist in today’s world. It is this very process that I value and seek to express through my work.