Junko Yamamoto
Art Mediums: oil on canvas, hand-sewn custom printed cotton fabric, wire, LED lights, iPod, speaker, and acrylic.
Junko has recently exhibited at venues including the Office of Arts and Culture, SAM Gallery, J.Rinehart Gallery and has created installations for events including Out of Sight 2017 and Off the Wall at Seattle Asian Art Museum. In 2015 Junko received an Emerging Artist Grant Award from the Allied Arts Foundation, a GAP (Grants for Artist Projects) Award from Artist Trust, and an invitation to the Professional Artist-in-Residence Program at the Pratt Fine Arts Center. She was awarded 4Culture’s 2020 Art Project Grant. In 2018, as a member of the Japanese artist collective Art Beasties, she participated in group exhibitions at SOIL Gallery in Seattle and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Her collectors include Children and Family Justice Center, City of Bellevue mini city hall, Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, UW Medicine, Microsoft, and Google. She is represented by J.Rinehart Gallery where she will have a solo show in 2023 as well as Gallery 4 Culture.
“The last several years have been unique and difficult for so many of us. We’ve gone through much chaos and many challenges. The more I see the divisions and struggles in our society, the more I can’t help but think of how we are all made of the same basic matter at the molecular level. I believe that when we try to forgive and understand each other, let go of our emotions, and raise our vibrations up, we succeed in appreciating and empathizing with each and every little thing in this world. With my tendency to think deeper into the quantum world, I feel we can form connections with our vast universe effortlessly. That influences my work a great deal.”
“Throughout my upbringing, I was always drawn to beautiful tapestries and kimono fabrics. It’s striking and eye-catching to see them from a distance, and they urge me to bring them closer to see more detail. Multi-colored threads woven into fascinating and captivating textures inspire me to recreate my own versions of them with liquid paint on woven canvases and, with my soft sculptures, digitally illustrated images printed on fabric.”
“There are so many hours and days I put into my work, especially my painting. It involves constant decision making and questioning of myself. It’s almost painful, with each and every stroke or mark made, as if working in the darkness for a while and then experiencing this little moment of complete clarity in a place of nirvana-like enlightenment where I know exactly what I want to express with my work. That moment surprises me every time.”
Emerging Tone; oil on canvas; 36"x36".
Between Consciousness; hand-sewn custom printed cotton fabric, fiber, wire, LED lights, iPod, speaker, and acrylic; 14’ x 18’ x 9.2’
Atmospheric Consciousness; hand-sewn custom printed cotton fabric, wood, fiber, wire, iPod, and speaker; 13’ x 13’ x 12’.
Continuum; oil on canvas; 48"x48".
Resonate; oil on canvas; 48"x48".