Sayo Ota

Sayo Ota is an artist born in Japan, currently based in Tokyo, Nuuk and Oslo. She holds an MFA in Global Art Practice from the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts. Through her engagement with the historical and ongoing flows of trade, migration, and cultural exchange, her work traces how these forces shape both personal and collective identities. The evolving nature of her practice reflects the fluidity of these histories, often drawing attention to the tension between permanence and change, and to the shifting narratives of power, exploitation, and resilience. Photo by Ivar Kvaal for The Vessel