Born 1977 in Kobe, Sawada graduated from Seian University of Art and Design. After winning the Canon New Cosmos of Photography Grand Prize in 2000, her work garnered attention for scrutinizing the interrelatedness of the self to outward appearance. Using various disguises and alterations to her looks, Sawada impersonated more than 400 different personae in photo booth pictures, reviving or performing the most defining moments of these fictional characters.

The surprising appeal of her photography has gained her substantial recognition particularly outside of Japan. Further awards include the 29th Kimura Ihei Memorial Photography Award in 2004, the Twentieth Annual ICP Infinity Award in the same year, the Bleue Mer Award in 2006, and the Higashikawa Prize “New Photographer” of 2008.