ContinuEd Project Space: Sayo Watanabe
Sayo Watanabe, Dear Loved Ones I Missed, 2025, Welded found steel and objects, laptop remnant, pocket mirror, earphones, etc., 31 x 47 x 6 inches.
Sayo Watanabe, Installation View, 2025, Mixed media installation with welded found steel, electronic parts, plastic waste, etc.
Artist Statement:
I am a multi-media artist who explores whether discarded objects can fulfill societal needs and disrupt what is deemed valuable. Through surveys, archiving "trash," and textile explorations, I study themes of sustainability and humanity. I collect plastic waste - COVID tests, broken earphones, produce nets from grocery stores, interweaving them into knit textile art. I remix waste as playful installations to unpack the illusion of value in this time of mass consumption, waste, and individualism, challenging others and myself to sculpt unique art that tells stories with the human traces left in "trash".
Bio:
Sayo Watanabe (B. 1998), Brooklyn based artist received a BFA from Parsons in 2020. They have shown in group shows in New York, New Jersey, and internationally in Japan and Korea. In 2025 they received the ChaNorth Young Artist Fellowship Award, HERALBONY Art Prize, NAAAP NY Project Grant, and more. They have been featured on Forbes, CFDA, WWD, and others.
Website: needsai.github.io/sai/gallery | @needsaiii
Course: AI for Creatives: Strategies for Success | PDC-3013-OL
