SACHIKO KAMIKI, YUYELAI

– Sachiko Kamiki

Whitestone Gallery is pleased to present a duo exhibition Encounter by Japanese young artists Sachiko Kamiki and Yuyelai. It is the first time they come together for a joint exhibition and each of them will bring more than ten pieces of new artworks. Kamiki and Yuyelai create works from ‘the third person’ and ‘animal nature’ perspectives respectively to describe human emotions and the meaning of human existence. The figures on canvas show their changes in their state of mind no matter whomever they encounter, either others or themselves in the art journey.

The figures in Kamiki’s new works are depicted in solid black blocks and dressed in plain colour yellow, blue, pink and artist’s classical colourful mosaic patches. Compared with the artist’s previous works in bold colours, this time, Kamiki’s works are shown in a more mature way to convey rich emotions through her paintings. Instead of looking straight ahead, the protagonists are sitting or standing to invite visitors to interact with them. Sachiko Kamiki was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1991. She studied at Joshibi University of Art and Design (oil painting), and got MFA in 2017. In the same year, her debut solo exhibition was held at Karuizawa New Art Museum. In this regard, the prestigious monthly art magazine Bijyutsutecho (September 2017) ran an article about her interview.

Yuyelai’s painting aims to explore the meaning of human existence. The strong colours and flowing lines are features of her works. Based on calligraphy and seal carving in her childhood experiences and the study of Eastern classical philosophy, her works are rich in ink wash painting. Sketchy outlines of the characters roaming in the colourful background, and the trajectories of the lines seem to wash away the layers of disguise of people. In the process of exploring creation, Yuyelai is seeking the real state of mind, which is in the purest original time. Yuyelai was born in 1999 and currently attending Beijing Central Academy of Fine Arts. She is the youngest ever artist to hold a solo exhibition at Whitestone Gallery (2021).