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5 Dark, Disturbing and Vulnerable Paintings by Yūko Tatsushima

The harrowing experiences of sexually abused women

Kay Kirti
The Collector
4 min readFeb 23, 2023

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Zdzislaw Beksinski and Francis Bacon come to my mind when we talk about dark and macabre art.

Beksinski was a Polish artist whose paintings were filled with elements of dystopia and doomsday. He faced antisemitism and witnessed mass killings of Jews.

While Bacon sketched his broken and fragile relationships on canvas.

Recently, I stumbled upon the work of a Japanese artist Yūko Tatsushima on a YouTube channel.

While little is known about her personal life, a simple Google search will reveal a collage of her macabre and grotesque paintings.

Contrary to what one might initially perceive, the paintings are not grotesque, but instead evoke a sense of vulnerability.

Through her depictions of feminine figures in ripped dresses, with scratches over their private parts, and expressions of extreme despair, Yūko Tatsushima communicates the raw pain and anguish of sexual harassment.

Let’s take a closer look at 5 of her most striking paintings.

1. I Can’t Be a Wife Anymore

I Can’t Be a Wife Anymore. Source — Artist Website

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The Collector
The Collector

Published in The Collector

Understand through art, history and culture the dynamics of politics and how to empower feminism, racial equality, and gender rights

Kay Kirti
Kay Kirti

Written by Kay Kirti

Art and life enthusiast. I engage with art at a deep level. I love to document my life experiences. Mama to Yoda 🐕 and Rumi 👨‍👧‍👶

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