Yukiko Kakimoto
Contemporary Artist
Biography
Yukiko Kakimoto is a contemporary artist. Yukiko's artistic approach is intuitive and combines different disciplines that she has been practicing indiscriminately from an early age. Yukiko decisively shifted her focus on combining wearable art with the beautiful and unique culture of Japan and now she is dedicated to contemporary art jewelry. Using potter's clay, glaze, Urushi(Japanese lacquer), Sumi(Japanese black ink), pure gold powder, sterling silver, and many other natural materials, she create art that is small palm-size and wearable..
Born in Kyoto, Japan, the origin of Yukiko's creation is in her childhood. Yukiko was a girl who was fascinated with drawing, making stories, and creating something freely. Yukiko is a self-taught artist who for a long time has been developing skills through, trial and error, and her own unique style of work.
After graduating from Kyoto Bunkyo College, Yukiko studied Japanese traditional Ikebana at Kadō Iemoto Ikenobo and flower design at Mami Flower Design School and earned a diploma.
In 1994, Yukiko started bridal flower planning and production, flower designs and aromatherapy instructing. She also completed many flower group exhibitions (Japan / Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo etc.) and seminars (Japan / Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, China / Shanghai etc.). Since 1999 for about eight years, Yukiko has been engaged in directing an art gallery, she supported as a various consultant for both domestic and international artists. She has done not only flower designs but while building her careers she has also presented artwork that freely used various materials.
In 2015, the sudden illness of Yukiko's family forced her to leave all work, but her creative activity never stopped, she began to make works again in daily life. And, like the dots connect and make a line, and guided by something, the jewelry works were born. Yukiko's past knowledge and experience were integrated and made one form.
Yukiko is interested in the vague human "heart" that can't be actually seen or touched. How does something more profound than just beauty as an ornament affect our hearts? She would like to explore the infinite possibilities of art. Currently, she has been chosen as an artist to participate in art fairs and international exhibitions in Europe, and activity enjoys those opportunities.
Statement
Contemporary Art Jewelry for N°4.
“N°4” is the heart chakra. Everything has a vibration, and we more or less influence each other every day. Through my pieces, I want to cast a good spell on your heart.
My work goes through many processes until completion: empty my mind, play with the soil (forming), let it go once, and entrust to the God of Fire (baking in a kiln). Then, once it comes back in my hand, I color it with the technique of Kintsugi and lastly produce brooch pin, attach, and finally done. Using my body and mind, and the tool called technique, I create it. With God's hands there, I am always excited and grateful for work that cannot be done by myself.
Do you know "Kintsugi"?
“Kintsugi” is a unique culture in Japan that repairs the broken or chipped ceramics. The technique not only repairs the broken teaware with lacquer but also decorates the joints with gold, silver, tin, etc. Kintsugi was born from the delicate aesthetic sense of the Japanese who valued and appreciated even the cracked traces. Urushi (Natural lacquer) extracted from plants slowly solidifies over time, and by layering it multiple times, it turns into a stronger product. It's a bit like our life, with bittersweet, repeated destruction and regeneration, sometimes leaving all to God, and ultimately going through the process of sublimation by love.
We are part of nature.
Living on the planet earth, we are currently facing various environmental issues. Even when we look back in history, we have lost many things because of natural and man-made disasters and recovered from there numerous times. Everything is constantly changing and it is unstoppable. It is as if we are encouraged to remember that we are part of nature. My pieces are made of blessings from nature and created by dialoguing with the material, that will eventually return to nature just like us. It's my love, passion and prayer.
Where to find me
