From the Realm of Dreams: Artist Brings Fantastic Visions to Life
December 12, 2024

Bringing Asian Folklore to Life in Modern Origami Art

A sense of tradition and culture runs deep in Saya Okayama, the talented artist who showcases themes of Japanese philosophy and folklore in her modern origami and mixed media creations.

For her, the artistic seeds were planted early.

A native of Okinawa, Saya’s parents are certified Living National Treasures, the highest recognition that can be achieved in the Japanese arts. Both are certified in the traditional island performing arts – her father as a sanshin (three-string guitar) player and her mother as Yaeyama folk dancer.

Saya’s mother’s cousin is also a certified National Living Treasure, and all of them made an impact on her growing up.

“I use origami to create what I see as the connections between Japan and other parts of the world,” she says, underscoring the unique culture that exists in Okinawa, which used to be a kingdom of its own before adopting Japanese culture.

Saya’s family taught her much about the culture and folk traditions of her heritage, from the meanings in traditional language, to hand motions, weaving, patterns and much more.

As a child, Saya folded as a hobby with her grandparents, soon finding herself folding everything from plain paper to restaurant napkins. Origami came to her naturally.

When she graduated high school, Saya went to college for folklore, studying the cultural differences between Okinawa, Japan, and other East Asia countries as a Competitive Asian Folklore major.

After college, Saya turned her attention to raising a family in the suburbs of southern New Jersey and a career in retail sales management, where she lead teams of young, part-time workers.

“With the younger generation especially, it is important to keep them motivated and connect with them, giving them meaning for what they do,” Saya explained. “It’s not just the money.”

She surprisingly discovered that origami gave her a powerful way to connect with team members and put them at ease.

“One morning, I could tell someone was having a really bad day,” recalled Saya. “I sat down with them, spent a few minutes folding origami and explaining the meaning of the crane, and their mindset quickly changed. It cheered them up!”

As her own daughter entered college, Saya would make jewelry and other origami for her and her friends, always making sure to explain the meaning of the work with them.

A fan eventually asked Saya the question. “Why not sell your art?”. In short order, Saya was exhibiting at local markets and fairs.

She has especially fond memories of a show she travelled to several years ago in suburban Chicago during the doldrums of the pandemic, taking precious vacation time away from her retail management position to attend.

Despite feeling as if she had little idea what she was doing, Saya sold out of her work in just six hours on that dreary, rainy day.

“People bought my art in tears, telling me how much their mood changed, how my art gave them light after such a dark tunnel,” Saya said.

In addition to changing moods, the event would also change Saya’s life.

“The event organizer approached me asking me if I ever considered becoming an artist full time,” said Saya. Over the next couple of years, she did just that, opening the Oba-Gami Origami House.

Today, her offerings include original artwork, origami jewelry, calligraphy, Japanese Washi paper, and more.

Her creative process typically starts with selecting a theme and a figure, often from Japanese folklore, such as a lotus flower, a crane or butterfly for example.

From there, Saya reads up on the theme. And she begins folding.

“I read while I work, and I let my mood pick the paper and guide the folding,” Saya explains, suggesting that the key is just letting her mind go. “If I think too deeply, the piece may not come out right.”

Saya may fold dozens of origami creations at a time while, all with a theme in mind. Many will later wind up placed on a canvas, such as a recent creation entitled “Departures” which features numerous origami pieces placed on four 24×24 panels.

Prep time is important to her creative process, according to Saya, who travels to a Japanese paper factory once a year.

“Cutting the paper and getting the perfect patterns, that is triple the time of folding,” said Saya. “One uses their brain for that work. Then, it’s the hands and the heart with the folding.”

Emerging artists can learn much from Saya and her unique journey to becoming an artist full time, crediting her experience in the retail sector.

“Be curious for everything,” says Saya. “Besides the art itself, it’s good to know how to interact with customers and how to get to know people. Don’t just stay in the booth all the time.”

Saya is excited about the possibility of one day building a community of immigrant female artists. “Using my fingers, I cannot fold forever,” she said. “It’s a just a dream right now, but I would love to make a community and storefront for fellow artists.”

Meet Saya and experience her amazing work at the Rittenhouse Square Fall Fine Craft Show in Philadelphia, October 11-13, 2024. Visit her online storefront at obagamihouse.com.