Bingata dyed Kimono

You-I, You-I

The artist came to realize how the traditional culture of Okinawa, his homeland, has been isolated from its origins by the political pressures exerted by the Japanese and American Military. He projected the issue onto the pattern of Okinawan traditional Bingata Kimono.

Yuken redesigned the patterns, which still follow traditional structures. You see the U.S. jet fighter and V-22 Osprey flying through the colorful clouds, and paratroopers float among the domestic Okinawan butterflies.

There are representations of different seasons on the same plate on a Bingata kimono. This multi-dimensional expression makes it possible for several layers of stories to exist together. Since Okinawa has a long history of occupation, its culture is a mix of its traditional culture and two foreign (Japan & USA) cultures. Yuken believes that the aesthetics of Bingata is a mirror of Okinawan history itself.