Artist Biography
Born in Pasadena, California, Sarah Risko is a Japanese-Mexican American artist and designer based in Austin, Texas. As a multidisciplinary artist, she explores the emotional terrain and inherent connection between women and the natural world, intertwining the culture of her ancestors and stories shared among the women in her family.
Risko’s artistic journey began at the Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where early training in theater shaped her approach to image-making. She later earned her Associate of Arts in Studio Art from Blinn College.
Through painting and mixed media, Risko creates scenes in which the female figure and landscape engage in meaningful conversation. With a basis in personal narrative yet extending into broader cultural associations of water with intuition and transformation, she is committed to creating an environment connected to waterways and coastal regions. The aquatic forms create a dialogue between the women depicted in Risko’s narratives. Her work explores sexuality, autonomy, and vulnerability, examining how identity and environment weave into each other. She uses these narratives that connect bodily autonomy and the Earth to advocate for environmental reciprocity. Nostalgia serves as a central force in her practice, shaping imagery that reflects both memory and myth. Rooted in her identity and cultural perspective, her work seeks to uncover the shared language between body, land, and time.
Artist Statement
My work reflects the ongoing balance between sexuality, vulnerability, and autonomy, revealing the complexities of inhabiting my own body and being the woman I am. Nature is a central influence in my practice, with my works creating a dialogue of environmental reciprocity. The gestures and rhythms found in the trees, water, and our earthly terrains echo the emotional patterns of daily life. Analyzing the beauty of the land we have been grounded on creates a sense of purpose in the relationships reflected in my pieces. I emphasize the inherent connection and the unifying aspects between women and the natural world. I explore the reflective space of femininity through identity, memory, and personal history with water. Through these bodies of water, I examine how my own femininity, cultural identity, and nostalgia mirror themselves through movement and depth of aquatic cycles. Memories that have shaped my connections with vulnerability and my mind and body as a woman, I aim to weave in my works.
My paintings act as mirrors, offering viewers a personal perspective they may not have encountered before. By grounding my work in personal stories, places, and sensations, I aim to create moments of recognition and connection, allowing others to see parts of themselves reflected in the narratives I create.