Taiyo Okamoto grew up in Karatsu, Japan, right across from the ocean, where he spent his childhood days gazing at the vast sky, crashing waves and flying fish, often sitting on the seawall and twilighting. In 2002 he decided to have an adventure and moved to New York City. After several years as a film journalist, he suddenly and unexpectedly reconnected with his prime nature. Taiyo specializes in nontraditional chigiri-e style art: tearing paper into pieces by hand and arranging them on canvas to create artwork beyond concepts. Using Japanese mulberry paper is one of his facets. He plays with its texture to give each piece varied dimensions from every angle. He cherishes tradition and experimentation. Taiyo lives in Brooklyn.