At Sophia University, Takeshi Ito (Politics) and John Williams (Film and Art) are teaching a new class called Meaningful Life. This class is part of Sophia University’s Education Innovation Program. We both think that contemporary Japanese university education is lacking something important ant that the new technologies such as smart phones are robbing us of our attention and our care for other people and our ability to communicate. We feel that university education has become very fixated on goals and outcomes and on getting grades and jobs, but the purpose of education should be to explore, to experiment and to learn with the senses and the heart and not just with the head. So, we combined our ideas about agriculture and art (both activities that need to be done with the body and the senses and in collaboration with others) to create a class that is all about EXPERIENCE and IMAGINATION. The focus of the class is on Kitaushima and the surrounding villages. We hope that the students will explore this beautiful place with their minds and their senses and begin to create art works to inspire others to think about the future of our planet. From August 3rd to 7th, we will take these students from many different countries and backgrounds to Kitaushima and make art works there and talk to and learn from local people. We are very proud and happy, and the students are very excited that their work will also be part of the Galaxy Art Festival.

AJ Raymundo

Biography
AJ Raymundo (b. 2002, Taguig City) is an interdisciplinary artist from Metro Manila, Philippines. Born and raised in a Marcos-built housing complex, his practice is grounded on examining and translating intimate postcolonial social realities, touching on the themes of agency, city, and ecology. He collaborates with communities to amplify their narratives through engaged observation and artistic interventions that take the form of concept-based mixed media found objects, installations, projections, and images.

Artist Statement
I am inspired by the aging community and rich material culture and narratives present in the island. With the population in constant decline, what does it mean to remember and remember fondly? Through found objects and the process of weaving, I meditate on and celebrate the looming state liminality and life after life.

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Alexandria Choate

Biography
Hi! I'm Alex, a fourth year student studying Comparative Culture at Sophia. Nice to meet you〜
Artist Statement
"The master artist I could never match But this world's full of dreaming So I'll express that "

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citrezene / Chilli

Biography
hello! I'm a design student from Germany with a love for graphic and object design. I dedicate my time to sustainability, advocating for repair culture over disposability. Inspired by "offenen Werkstätten", Fablabs and Makerspaces, I enjoy bringing people together to share knowledge and resources.
Artist Statement
Through my work, I aim to highlight the beauty of repair and the power of shared knowledge. I want to invite viewers to consider a shift from disposability to a culture that values mending and collaboration.

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Haguwa

Biography
Originally from Mongolia, Haguwa is a third-year student at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University. She majors in International Business and Economics but has a keen interest in topics such as sustainability, community building, and mental well-being.
Artist Statement
The definition of art can vary based on individual opinions. If art is considered something beautiful, tangible, and created for the visual pleasure of viewers, then I could not call myself an artist. However, if art is defined as the expression of one's feelings in any format, medium, or scope, then the following pictures are some sketches I made when I was bored in my living room.

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Luna Escalante

Biography
Hi, I’m a senior year student from the Faculty of Foreign Studies English department at Sophia University. I’m majoring in Latin American studies since I’m a mix of Japanese and Mexican. I also have an interest in Fashion and studied Fashion Design at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K. I love traveling, meeting new people, enjoying wonderful food, and being in nature:)
Artist Statement
I've made something that makes me feel shiny. I saw, paint, craft and make jewellery, collages and zines. If I try to describe my artwork in one word, it can be "rainbow". They are colourful, but they are also shapes of different inspirations and feelings. Therefore, for this Horned Sado Art Exhibition, I would like to create a piece that can capture my inner self and beautiful treasures of Sado Island such as people, view and religion.

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Nia Bellamy

Biography
Hi! I'm a senior studying Media and Design at Georgia Tech, and I want to become a video game designer after college. I love fantasy, afrofuturism, mythology, and drawing! I enjoy learning about other cultures and want to bring more diverse stories to games and animation!
Artist Statement
For the Art Festival, I want to create something that reflects the culture of people in Sado, namely based on their traditions and folklore. Since my strength is creature art, I'm planning on making a painting or sculpture based on the Tanuki Parade.

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Primo

Biography
Primo Lagaso Goldberg (b. 2003, San Francisco, CA; they/them) is a queer, nonbinary, Black-Filipinx artist raised in ʻAiea, Hawaiʻi. Their artistic practice includes digital photography centered primarily on forms of portraiture and themes of identity, self-expression and queerness. Primo’s work aims to push the viewer to question their own habits of thought and notions of gender, identity, race, and the body. They understand first hand that the presentation of queer bodies (especially those of color) can manifest in many different ways and Primo is deeply invested in using photography to authentically reflect queer Being.
Artist Statement
As part of a course at Sophia University titled, "Meaningful Life: Art, Digital, and Field-based Learning," Primo has been interrogating what it means to exist in meaningful harmony and reciprocal generatively with the land we occupy. In this series of photograph-like scans, they hope to explore the objects, textures, and material presences that lend their aura to the village of Kitaushima, Sado. Taken from and returned to various locations around the village, and created with pre-existing materials and tools from the village, the artifacts depicted in this body of work aim to distill and present the unique, gentle, and ephemeral atmosphere of Kitaushima and invite the viewer to experience and remember this sense of place.

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Sumiko Fujihara

Biography
Hi, I’m a second year international student from The New School in NYC. I’m majoring in global studies with a minor in politics. In my free time I enjoy shooting film, sketching the world around me, and making silly comics for my friends.
Artist Statement
For my pieces, I was inspired by the work of Ruth Asawa as well as the process of gyotaku. Ink rubbings allow me to experiment with natural textures and create unique patterns. I wanted to emphasize the parts of nature that often get overlooked or ignored, such as the veins on leaves.

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Ted Wind

Biography
I’m an exchange student from America who likes working with acrylic paints and water colors.
Artist Statement
I am very passionate about using art to unlock the subconscious. My art is often very surreal and I am inspired by Magritte, Dali, and other surrealist artists from the 20th century

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Wong Sze Ching (Nicole)

Biography
I’m Nicole currently a third year student at the University of Hong Kong majoring in Design and Global Creative Industries.
Artist Statement
I experiment with 3D design, modelling and sustainable design. Some previous projects included sustainable pet products made with revamped denim scraps, environmental rendering with grasshopper to simulate a solution to outdoor heat etc.