Acrylic and oil on canvas

910×727 mm

Part of the “Price – less: Tales from a Port” exhibition in Yokohama, Japan, 2026

This is Yatagarasu. 八咫烏

Japan has a way of making symbols overlap.

The crow is at once a mythological guide, the emblem of Japanese football, the loudest bird in the city, and an everyday companion.

The octopus follows a similar path. It appears on supermarket trays, in ukiyo-e, and, for my generation, in the sea witch Ursula. As a child, I always found myself drawn to Disney’s female villains long before I understood why. Looking back, learning about queer coding, and discovering that Ursula was inspired by the legendary drag performer Divine, made that fascination make a little more sense.

Long before I ever visited Japan, I was already chasing crows and giant octopuses with my little brother in Ganbare Goemon. Then I arrived in Yokohama and found crows stealing food from tourists, walls covered in asagao (morning glories), and octopus displayed in every fish market.

This painting grew out of those encounters. Mythology, sports, childhood video games, queer icons, flowers, fish markets, and everyday life all found their way onto the same piece of linen.

If you’re in Yokohama over the coming days, I’d love to welcome you to the exhibition