KIMURA, Yuko
Born: 1968
Medium: Soft-ground etchings with chine collé, fabric and collage

Yuko was born in Oakland, California to Japanese parents, and then raised in Tokyo. She has lived in the US since 1989, receiving a B.F.A. degree in Printmaking from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and a M.F.A. also in Printmaking from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

She says, “for the last 15 years, “layering” has been important in my art making.” This includes chine collé, printing, using old papers, thread and fabric. Yuko prefers working in a small format so viewers can study the delicate layers in her work. One series is titled “Wabi House.” Wabi-Sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic: the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. Wabi is the beauty to be found in spareness and simplicity.

Recently, Yuko has made a series combining various old materials. “Baba” is her grandmother’s nickname and these works include old fabric, old katagami stencil papers and dress patterns from her grandmother who has been sewing for over 50 years. “Boro” denotes patched or tattered cloth. In this series, Yuko combines solarplate etching, thread and fabric. Sometimes she collages thin layers of moth-eaten paper, or does etchings on paper that seem to replicate the fiber textures of cloth.

In each piece, Yuko Kimura captures a sense of mystery with intriguing textural elements and soft coloration. These works are both elegant and simple.

Selected Exhibits:
Cleveland, Ohio
Ann Arbor, Michigan
New York, New York
Chicago, Illinois
London, United Kingdom
Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo
Portland, Oregon
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Two-Person exhibit at The Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay 2008

Selected Collections:
Newark Public Library, New Jersey
Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio
Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo