***TRIGGER WARNING**
 Her art involves themes of death, SA, depression/anxiety & suicide. Gore/graphic.

立島夕子

Tatsushima Yuko

Tatsushima Yuko is a Japanese artist born in 1986. She created paintings and illustrations that delve into the complexities of the human psyche. She earned a Bachelors in painting in 2009 from the Tama Art University in Japan.  She weaves elements of mental illness and grief into her work, conveying her inner turmoil using surreal imagery and color. 

She is an advocate for mental health awareness and is outspoken about her own struggles. Tatsushima channels her pains into art as a form of self-expression, healing, maybe even social change. 

In Japan, there is a significant stigma against mental health issues and a lack of resources for people struggle with them.

Takushima's contributions promote awareness and sympathy.

I would describe her art as very personal and introspective.

She is most known for a series of paintings called "Invisible Scars". The paintings explore the impact of childhood trauma on mental health. People describe her art as hauntingly beautiful. 

They depict girls with visible scars and wounds symbolic of emotional scars that often stay hidden under the surface. 

The paintings are raw, jarring, graphic, terrifying even... and sort of poetic. 

Some paintings evoke a realization that our psyche and humanity are delicate in nature. They can make people feel a sense of pain and vulnerability. 

Her work in general balances the line between intensely personal but universally relatable.

Full of dreamy landscapes and creepy or unusual figures, her art (like other surrealists) chips away at the structures that separate fantasy from the real world. 

She's a master of ambiguity and mystery, she leaves room for interpretation. The muted colors combined with little brushstrokes create a sense of fragility, vulnerability, maybe even dread or fear. 

This next one is my favorite, it's called "I can't be a bride anymore". I believe this painting went viral on the internet, if you gravitate towards scary things you may have already seen it.

*1st closeup so you can really appreciate the brushstrokes, and see the level of detail that goes into these things*

And of course the full piece

It's beautiful and it's uncomfortable.

I will say I really can't look at this one too long,
it evokes a lot of feelings.

Tatsushima is still around today, all of her art is on her website.
She has a ton of pieces

 it's worth taking a look

⭐  http://undergroundfortress.web.fc2.com ⭐ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuko_Shimizu_(illustrator)

I get lost in this one too

Oyasumi,

Sweet Dreams.

Mucho Amor,
 

♡ Kari