Image by courtesy
Associate Professor of Art and Design Yuko Oda poses with her sculpture, "Prayer for Now," which is part of an exhibit this fall at Sala 1, a contemporary arts center in Rome.
After having her work displayed at a gallery in Rome this fall, Associate Professor of Art and Design Yuko Oda will be traveling back to Italy to return the organic materials used in her sculpture “Prayer For Now” to the earth.
“I'm going to return the materials to where I found them, because I feel like they belong in the park,” says Oda, who borrowed tree roots and leaves from Parco della Caffarella, a popular 470-acre park in Rome, for her sculpture.
The piece is part of an installation at Sala 1, a contemporary arts center in Rome. The exhibit, “Learning From Trees: Artists and Climate Solutions,” also included two of Oda’s paintings. Curated by Rome-based Martina Tanga, who used to work at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibit features work from four artists who incorporate environmental activism within their art.
“As artists, we are activists, and we are asking the viewers to reflect on these larger ideas by interacting with the artwork,” says Oda.
Image by courtesy
Yuko Oda assembles her sculpture, which is part of the "Learning from Trees: Artists and Climate Solutions" in Rome.
“I filled bags with all the plants I could find from trees in Parco della Caffarella. Then I made the sculpture on the balcony of Martina’s apartment, which was scary because I had no idea if I would be able to create a successful sculpture in the new surroundings,” she says. “But it worked out. I was so happy with the sculpture itself. I learned a lot from the experience.”
Tanga was first intrigued by Oda’s artistic take on the environment after seeing her work at the 13FOREST Gallery in Arlington.
“Oda's artworks are visually stunning and conceptually complex,” says Tanga. “I am really fascinated by how she focuses on the notion of hybridity between plants and animals; it feels both futuristic and ancient.”
For “Learning with Trees,” artist collaboration was key. Tanga says that all forms of collaboration are embedded into the show’s theme, as it asks the viewer to see themselves connected with the natural world.
“Group exhibitions can create a powerful symbiosis, a chemistry that is diverse and potent,” says Oda.
She enjoyed interacting with people who came to see the show: “I distinctly remember having a conversation with an older man who was deeply moved by the sculpture.”
Oda says the man really understood the environmental concerns she had while making the piece, and her wish that all people could be kinder to the Earth.
Image by courtesy
Yuko Oda collected tree roots and leaves from Parco della Caffarella in Rome for her sculpture.
“I’m seeing many Instagram posts with visitors taking photos with the sculpture,” says Oda.
What’s next for Oda? In March, she has a solo show in the Christopher Brodigan Gallery at the Groton School.
“The theme will be similar to what I’ve done in the past – the imagined futuristic forms of nature and how nature will survive through what may be a post-human landscape,” she says.
Show curator Jennifer Ho has invited Oda to do workshops and artist talks with students at the school.
One of the featured works in the exhibit will be a 3D-printed sculpture, “Migrant,” that she worked on with Emerging Scholar and recent grad Ryan Newton ’25. They also have help from engineer John Connery, assistant director of the Lawrence Lin MakerSpace.
“This exhibit will be a combination of sculpture and works on paper,” says Oda. “I like that it's not a commercial space; I can develop my vision without worrying about if the work will sell.”
Oda, who joined UMass Lowell in 2017, is grateful to be working so closely with students and staff on her projects.
“Out of all the universities I've taught at, UMass Lowell students are some of the most hardworking and sincere I've met,” she says. “Our students are aware of the world, and they are kind to each other.”