Ayaka Umeda
梅田綾香
instagram @ume_some
born : 1993 Yamagata-gun, Hiroshima Japan
Education :
2016~2018 Hiroshima City University (graduate school)
2012~2016 Hiroshima City University
Selected Solo Exhibition :
2024 "Hollow and Blink" at Gallery Seek Caretta, Shiodome, Tokyo
2023 "Last Flower" at Ginza Gallery Seek, Tokyo
2022 "Pluralistic Biotope" at Ginza Gallery Seek, Tokyo
2018 "Undying Tree" at mm project art, Hiroshima
2016 "SOMEIRO Aquarium" at mm project art, Hiroshima
Art Fair:2023, 2024 ART TAIPEI
2023, 2024 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2022 KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2022
Public Collection :
Hiroshima City University Art Museum, Hiroshima, Japan
Selected Award:
Judge's special award, independent Tokyo 2018
Award for outstanding work, The 21st Art Museum Acquisition Exhibition 2018
Special Project Participation:
The Life in Satoyama ! The Artists- into the street 2017
Partner PROJECT, Satoyama-Mirai 2017 of Hiroshima prefecture
梅田綾香は、日本の蝋染め技法を用いて、他の生き物の視点や目に見えない領域に想像を巡らせながら、自然の移ろうかたちに着想を得て制作を行っています。すべてのものの中に無限の像が宿るという考えをもとに、彼女は丁寧かつ不可逆的な蝋染めの工程を通じて、それらのイメージにかたちを与えていきます。
彼女の作品は、あらかじめ想像された風景を描くのではなく、水に乗った染料の動きに導かれるようにして生まれてきます。制御と偶然のあいだにある繊細なバランスを受け入れながら、そこから物語や構造が少しずつ立ち現れ、直感と素材との対話からなる独自の世界が広がっていきます。
個展、受賞多数、海外のアートフェアに出品するなど国内外で活動。
Through her work in Japanese batik, Ayaka Umeda explores the perspectives of other living beings and the presence of invisible realms, drawing inspiration from the shifting forms of nature. Rooted in the belief that infinite images reside within all things, her practice gives form to these visions through the meticulous and irreversible process of wax-resist dyeing.
Rather than illustrating imagined scenes, Umeda allows the movement of dye on water to guide each image, embracing the delicate balance between control and unpredictability. From these forms, narratives and systems gradually emerge, revealing a unique world shaped by both intuition and material response.
The artist has held numerous solo exhibitions and received multiple awards. Additionally, by participating in international art fairs, they have established a presence both domestically and internationally.
地元・安芸太田町筒賀地区の大銀杏をモデルに描いた『千秋万古』、代々生き続けた巨木・柿の木を表現した作品『瀑流の樹』。
そして、この展覧会の作品の数々は、自然に対する若きアーティストのまなざしと感性を映し出しています。
Senchū Banko" was inspired by the grand ginkgo tree in the Tsutsuga area of Akiōta, while the "Raining Stream" expresses the enduring life of a giant persimmon tree passed down through generations. "These works reveal a young artist’s gaze and sensitivity in response to the natural world."
『千秋万古』"eternity ginko" (2017)
1960mm x 2910 mm, Batik (acid dye, silk & wood panels)
「千秋」は、永遠に続く時の象徴です。長寿の銀杏は再生を繰り返しながら成長し、神話的な存在を宿すように感じられます。この木は、自然と物語、過去と未来をつなぐゲートのような存在であり、そして日本全国に存在します。鑑賞者が自由に想像を広げられるように、具体的な姿を持たない生き物たちも描いています。
“Senchū” symbolizes the eternity of time. The long-living ginkgo tree, with its power of regeneration, evokes a mythical presence. The artist was especially inspired by the Great Ginkgo of Tsutsuga in Akiōta Town, combining elements from ginkgo trees across Japan. The ginkgo serves as a gate that connects nature and storytelling, past and future. Some creatures are depicted without distinct forms, inviting viewers to freely imagine their own interpretations. (text by artist & mm project art)
瀑流の樹 Raging Stream（2017）
2250×3400mm cotton,reactive dye
木は折れても再生し、より強く成長する。倒れても命が途絶えることはなく、新たな芽がそこから生まれることもある。特に柿の木は、枝を折りながらも前に進んでいるように見える。私たちの環境もまた、土石流や津波、洪水などで一瞬にして変わることがある。しかし命がある限り、自然はすぐに再生し、新たな環境が生まれていく。長い目で見れば、山や街も静かに動き、現れては消えていく。今自分がいる場所も、移り変わる風景の中の一時的な層にすぎないと思うことがある。
上空から世界を見ている鴉にとっては、柿の木も人間の象徴体系も同じようなものかもしれない。一度潰れても、すぐに新しい枝が伸びて進んでいく。水に乗って流れる染料の動きは、コントロールできない時間の流れを表している。この作品は、樹の時間と人が感じる時間の両方を描いている。
Even when a tree breaks, it regenerates and grows stronger. Life continues despite damage, and new shoots may even sprout from a fallen trunk. Persimmon trees, in particular, seem to move forward while their branches break along the way.
Our environment can change suddenly—mudslides, tsunamis, and floods can erase towns and sever connections. Yet as long as life remains, nature regenerates. Over time, mountains shift quietly and cities appear and disappear. I often reflect on how the places we live are only temporary layers in a constantly changing world.
To a crow observing from above, a persimmon tree and human symbols may seem alike—both break and grow again. The movement of dye through water reflects this uncontrollable flow of time. This work expresses the time of trees and the time we feel as humans. ( Text by artist & mm project art )
other artworks presented in the exhibition
phantasmagoric
トカゲのひととき Lizard Time
八重寒紅 Japanese Plum Tree
思考するサボテンThinking Cuctas
『里山で生きる！アーティスト集まれ』
The Life in Satoyama ! The Artists- into the street 2017
special project by mm project art
Street Art event in Kake, Akiota town ( Gallery & Artist's Collaboration )
ひろしまさとやま未来博2017 ココロザシ応援プロジェクト参加企画
Partner PROJECT, Satoyama-Mirai 2017 of Hiroshima prefecture
"Last Flowers-Mouse" (2016)
1000mm x 800mm, Batik (cotton & wood panel)
地元神社内での展示
installation at Nagao shrine, Akiota, Hiroshima, Japan
『花隠れ』
(The Last Flowers, for Mouse, Frog, Raccoon & Bat)
花隠れのシリーズは道端で死んだ生き物たちを偲んで生まれた作品です。
Create those to pray for the dead creatures at the roadside.
"Last Flowers - Frog" (2016)
1000mm x 800mm, Batik (cotton & wood panel)
"Last Flowers - Raccoon" (2016)
1000mm x 800mm, Batik (cotton & wood panel)
"Last Flowers - Bat" (2016)
1000mm x 800mm, Batik (cotton & wood panel)
パレイドリアの森
Pareidolia Forest, (2015)
2300 mm x 3600 mm, Batik (Acid Dye, Velvet)
collection of mm project art
あきおおた国際音楽祭での展示
installation at Akiota International Music Festival
ロウ染め技法を通じて、染料が布に広がり、色の層を重ねていくことで、梅田綾香は水、空気、時間といった漂うものを自然に表現することができます。染色ならではの平面表現を追求した作品において、流れる要素をテーマに、鑑賞者を未知の水族館へと誘います。
この3メートルを超える雑木林をイメージしたタピスリー作品は、その空間の中には、染めによる偶然性から生まれた環境に潜む生き物たちが現れます。
Through the wax-resist dyeing technique, where dye spreads across fabric and layers of color are built up, Ayaka Umeda naturally expresses elements such as water, air, and time—qualities that flow through the world. In her works, which explore the unique flat surface expressions of dyeing, she invites viewers into an unknown aquarium, where the theme of flowing elements takes center stage.
The tapestry work, inspired by a woodland landscape over 3 meters in length, reveals creatures that emerge from the environment shaped by the spontaneity of the dyeing process, hidden within this space.
『龍姫湖図』The Ryukiko-Zu
2750 x 2750 mm, Batik (Acid dye, cotton & wood panel)
広島市立大学芸術資料館所蔵作品 collection of Hiroshima city University
An exhibition in the lobby of a hotel by the Ryukiko lakeside, which serves as the motif in 2016.
広島市立大学院生の梅田綾香が出身地の安芸太田町の民話を基にした染織作品『龍姫湖図』を完成させた。同大芸術学部での卒業制作が大学に買い上げられ、4～17日に同大の新収蔵作品展で展示される。同町温井地区には大蛇が龍になるため、娘に化けて奉公したとの民話が残る。屋敷の主人にも気にいられていたが、正体を見破られ、『江の渕』という沼に消えたと伝わる。江の渕は2002年に完成した温井ダムの底に沈んだ。2.75mのろうけつ染の作品。大蛇が変身したという『龍姫様』がぐるりと体を泳がせる様子を表現した。民話の時代から現代までの街並みを空 想で描いた。水の質感を表現するために、色付けも工夫した。梅田さんにとって、幼い頃から馴染んだ民話。ダムに沈んだのは知人の住んでいた地区だった。変化する街の姿を民話に重ね、イメージを膨らませた。（2016年4月4日中国新聞記事の一部を掲載）
A graduate student from Hiroshima City University has completed a textile artwork titled “Ryūhimeko-zu” (Portrait of the Dragon Princess Lake), based on a folktale from her hometown of Akiōta, Hiroshima Prefecture. Her graduation work from the university’s Faculty of Arts was selected for the university’s permanent collection and will be exhibited from April 4 to 17 in a special showcase of newly acquired works.
The folktale, passed down in the Nukui area of Akiōta, tells of a giant serpent that transformed into a dragon by disguising itself as a young woman and serving in a household. Though she was well liked by the head of the house, her true identity was eventually discovered, and she vanished into a mythical place known as Gou no Fuchi, which is said to have been submerged beneath the Nukui Dam after its completion in 2002.
The 2.75-meter-long batik-dyed work depicts the Dragon Princess swimming gracefully with her long body encircling the scene. Umeda imaginatively illustrated the changing landscapes from the folktale era to the present day, incorporating thoughtful color choices to evoke the texture and fluidity of water.
The story has been familiar to Umeda since childhood. The area submerged by the dam was home to people she knew. She layered the transformations of the town over time with the ancient folktale, expanding her imagery and vision through the lens of memory and myth. （(Excerpt from the Chūgoku news paper article dated April 4, 2016)