Gina Ariko is a Japanese-American figurative painter based in Seattle, WA. Growing up, she spent every other summer visiting family in Kitakyushu, Japan, where her ojichan and obaachan first taught her to paint. Despite the language and distance barriers between them, they learned to communicate through a shared love for painting. Her interest in art and storytelling overlapped at Santa Clara University, where she majored in both English and studio art, and minored in art history. After graduation, she worked across multiple museums and organizations focused on education and community development before pursuing her art full-time in 2020.