(artist statement)

YOKAI

An ethereal class of evil and mischievous creatures derived from traditional Japanese folklore. These monsters haunted the literature, art, and popular culture in many different areas of Japan.

They come in a wide variety of forms; some appear to be part animal and others have human features to disguise themselves as a human. Unlike normal animals, however, they have strange powers or bizarre attributes, and tend to be more intelligent than regular animals, many of them being known as tricksters.

This series of portraits depicts my photographic interpretation of these haunting creatures, capturing each ones unique characteristics.