Born 1970 in Tsuyama, prefecture Okayama, Japan
Lives and works in Tsuyama, prefecture Okayama, Japan
Yuko Sakurai first explored the concept on which her artistic work is based in 2001 and has been refining and developing it ever since. In a dialogue with paintings by the American artist Robert Ryman and under the impression of works by the English “walking artist” Hamish Fulton, Sakurai began to work out series of relief-like, structured, often multi-part coloured objects on wood or canvas. She sees these works as an expression of the emotions triggered by her experience and memories of landscapes and places. In 2009, she began to undertake trips through diverse regions of Europe with the intention of finding out more about different European cultures and mentalities. Since 2011, Sakurai has been increasingly using paper as a ground for the colours, initially Arches paper, and, since 2012, also washi (hand-made Japanese paper) produced in traditional manner.
Peter Lodermeyer