About — Kumi Yamashita (2024)

Kumi Yamashita was born in Takasaki, Japan. She received her Master of Fine Arts Degree from Glasgow School of Art and her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington.

Her solo shows include the Seattle Art Museum, Boise Art Museum, Roswell Museum, Yerba Buena Center, Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall,the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay in Singapore, Art Front Gallery in Tokyo and Kent Gallery in New York City. Group shows include the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Netherland's CODA Museum, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Honolulu Museum of Art, Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Liverpool Biennial, Southeast Center for Contemporary Art, Scottish Parliament, Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları in Istanbul and the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in Japan. She continues to exhibit internationally.

Private and public collections include the Microsoft Art Collection, the New Mexico History Museum, American Express, Birmingham Museum of Art, Thoma Art Foundation, Le Meridien Shenyang, Otsuma University, Seattle City Light, Tokyo's Akiru Medical Center, Osaka's Namba Parks Tower, Stellar Place at Sapporo JR Tower, Boise Art Museum and Hamada Children's Art Museum.

In 2009, her sculpture “Pathway” commissioned by Seattle City Light was listed as one of the top 40 public works in the nation by the Public Art Network (PAN). Other awards and grants include the Pollock and Krasner Foundation grant, Artist Trust GAP, and China’s Crystal Kirin Award. Residencies include RAIR (Roswell Artist in Residence), the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and the Millay Colony.

She lives and works in Woodstock, New York.

SELECTED SOLO SHOWS

2018 Fleeting, Global Harbor Museum, Shanghai, China
2016Fleeting, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan
2015Mountains & Valleys, Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2008Kent Gallery, New York City, USA
2005Sunny Days and Starry Nights, Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
2002Kathleen E. Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota, USA
Glass Gallery, University of Texas at El Paso, USA
Hillside Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Kent Gallery, New York City, USA
Roswell Museum and Art Center, New Mexico, USA
1999Yerba Buena Center, California, USA
1998Salt Lake Art Center, Utah, USA
Boise Art Museum, Idaho, USA
1997Seattle Art Museum, Washington, USA

SELECTED GROUP SHOWS / SPECIAL PROJECTS

2023 Gallery Children’s Biennale, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore

2020In Profile: A Look at Silhouettes, New York Historical Society, NYC, USA Forgotten Faces, Charles B Wang Center, Stony Brook University, USA

2019Light & Shadow: Alyson Shotz and Kumi Yamashita, Wichita Museum of Art, Kansas, USA
Beyond the Shadows, Chimei Museum, Tainan City, Taiwan
Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, USA
Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now, Mississippi Museum of Art, USA 2018Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now, National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC, USA 2017 Paper Art, CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Beyond the Gift of Time: RAIR at 50, Roswell Museum Art Center, New Mexico, USA 2016Overlap: Life Tapestries, A.I.R. Gallery, New York City, USA
Tissus Inspirés: Pierre Frey, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
2015Extreme Fibers: Textile Icons and the New Edge, Muskegon Museum of Art &Dennos Museum Center, Michigan, USA
Origami Heaven, Wang Center, Stony Brook University, New York, USA
Less = More, Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii, USA
Cosmos, Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Maryland, USA
2014Figurative Association, Arrowmont School of Arts, Tennessee, USA
Over the Edge: Paperworks Unbound, WAH Center, New York City, USA
2013Eros, 23rd Edition Miniartextil, Villa Olmo, Como, Italy
Outwin Boochever Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC, USA
Encore, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan, USA
2012Math Alive!, International Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington DC, USA
Transformation, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan, USA
2010Kaohsiung Design Festival, Taiwan
Look Again, Southern Center for Contemporary Art, North Carolina, USA
Smoke + Mirrors / Shadows + Fog, Hunter College / Times Square Gallery, New York City, USA
2009Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Niigata, Japan
Woman Forward,Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, New York City
2007Roswell Artist in Residence Program 40th Anniversary, Roswell Museum and Art Center, New Mexico, USA
Sculpture Alumni Invitational, Cornish College of the Arts, Washington, USA
Reversible, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, UK
2006Urban Cosmology, Kent Gallery, New York City, USA
2005Wake of Light, Sendai Mediateque, Miyagi, Japan
Iimawashi, Merz Gallery, Edinburgh, UK
Nazo Nazo, Hamada Children’s Museum of Art, Shimane, Japan
Only Make-Believe: Ways of Playing, Compton Verney, UK
Yet Another Reality, Contemporary Art Gallery, University of Conn, USA 2004Dis-tance, Aomori International Art Center, Aomori, Japan
Sfenks Seni Yiyip Yutacak, Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları, Istanbul, Turkey
2003Global Priority, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA
2002Super Figurative Approximations, Behnke Gallery, Cornish College of the Arts,Washington -Atrium Gallery,Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA
Containment, Llanternam Grange Art Centre, Wales, UK
Shadow Play, Roger Smith Gallery, New York, USA
2001Sculpture: Figure in Motion, Kent Gallery, New York City, USA
Obsession, University Art Gallery, University of California, San Diego, USA
2000Kirin Art Award Exhibition, Tokyo – Osaka, Japan
1999Trace, Liverpool Biennale, Liverpool, UK

COLLECTIONS / COMMISSIONS

  • AEON, Tokyo, Japan

  • Akiru Municipal Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

  • American Express, New York City, USA

  • Birmingham Museum of Art, USA

  • Boise Art Museum, Idaho, USA

  • Cryptic Theatre and Productions, Glasgow, UK

  • Hamada Children’s Museum of Art, Shimane, Japan

  • Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan, China

  • FX Networks

  • Le Meridien, Shenyang, China

  • Microsoft Art Collections, Washington, USA

  • Namba Parks Tower, Osaka, Japan

  • New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, USA

  • Otsuma Women’s University, Tokyo, Japan

  • Perfe Takiyama Maternity Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

  • Pierre Frey

  • Sapporo JR Tower Stellar Place, Hokkaido, Japan

  • Seattle City Light, Washington, USA

  • Takikawa Hall, Hokkaido, Japan

  • Thoma Art Foundation, Chicago USA

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMS

2010 – 12Denmark Arts Center, Maine, USA
2004Aomori International Art Center, Aomori, Japan
2002Border Art Residency, New Mexico, USA
2001Roswell Artist in Residence Program, New Mexico, USA
2000Millay Colony, New York, USA
1999Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Nebraska, USA

LECTURES / VISITING ARTIST

2015Artist talk at Stony Brook University, New York, USA
2014Artist talk at Arrowmont School of Arts, Tennessee, USA
2003Artist talk at Mimar Sinan Universitasi, Istanbul, Turkey
2003Artist talk at Institut architectura, Juarez, Mexico
2002Visiting artist at University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA
2002Lecturer at University of Texas at El Paso, Texas, USA
2001Volunteer art instructor at Chaves County Juvenile Detention Center New Mexico, USA

AWARDS / GRANTS

2014Crystal Kirin Award, Beijing, China
Special Merit Award, WAH Center, New York City
2009Year in Review 2009, Public Art Network (PAN), Americans for the Arts
2003The Pollock and Krasner Foundation, New York, USA
2000Kirin Art Award Second Prize, Japan
1997King County Art Commission Special Project Grant, Washington, USA
Artist Trust GAP Award, Washington, USA
1995Betty Bowen Art Award Special Recognition, Washington, USA
1993Merit Scholarship, Cornish College of the Arts, Washington, USA

EDUCATION

1999MFA Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK
1994BFA Cornish College of the Arts, Washington, USA

Smithsonian (USA) 2018 "The Woman Who Isn't There" Crawford, Amy

Washington Post (USA) 2018 “Before Photography, the silhouette helped leave
an impression” Kennicott, Phillip

Wall Street Journal (USA) 2018 “Tracing the Shadows of Past and Present”
Rothstein, Edward

Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now (USA) 2018 Naeem, Asma

Harper’s Bazaar (Malaysia) 2015 p. 176 “Out of the Box” Summugam, Sharmita

Honolulu Star (USA) 2015 p. F7 “”Less” Urges Inquiry” Goldberg, David

Singapore Tatler Homes (Malaysia) 2014 pp. 117-121 “Shadow Play” Mun-Delsalle, Y-Jean

Miniartextil 23rd Edition Catalog (Italy) 2013

Creatie Magazine No. 3 (Netherlands) October 2013 p.14

Washington Post (USA) March 22, 2013 “Boochever Portrait Competition winners” Kennicott, Philip

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013 (USA) Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Exhibition Catalogue p. 76

Cut Magazine No. 8 (Germany) 2013 pp. 48-50

It’s Nice That Annual (UK) 2012 pp. 180-181

Boston Globe (USA) June 24, 2012 K12 “Brainiac” Rothman, Joshua

Art Boom: Contemporary Art in El Paso (USA) 2012 pp. 99-100 Hendrick, Becky

Sublime – New Design and Architecture from Japan (Germany) 2011 p. 183

Dpi (Taiwan) Vol.152 December 2011 pp. 66-69

Wonder Magazine (Portugal) Issue #7 September/October 2011 pp. 8-11 Senra, Maria

City + Design (Italy) 2011 p. 23 Ramani, Donato

Muse (USA) Vol. 15, Number 4 April 2011 p. 40 “More Than the Sum of Her Parts” E.P.

Alphabets: A Miscellany of Letters (UK) 2010

Pie (New Zealand) 2010 Issue #02 p. 8

Cue (Japan) vol.17 May 2010 pp. 14-15

Smoke + Mirrors / Shadows + Fog (USA) Exhibition Catalog Times Square Gallery / Hunter College

Modern Weekly Life Style (China) February 13, 2010 Issue 583 p. C63 “Ones to Watch”

L’Uomo Vogue (Italy) January 2010 N.407 p. 66 “ART focuses on the hidden side of LIFE” Ramani, Donato

Design Play (China) pp. 198-201

Santa Fe New Mexican (USA) May 25, 2009 “Personal History” Carroll, Dennis

Santa Fe New Mexican (USA) May 24, 2009 “The Past Comes Alive” Grimm, Julie Ann

Pasatiempo (USA) May 22-28, 2009

Journal Santa Fe (USA) May 17, 2009 “NM’s Many Voices” Roberts, Kathaleen

Art Front Gallery Catalog (Japan) 2009

COOL Magazine (USA/Japan) 2008 Vol.16 pp. 16-21

ARTnews (USA) Summer 2008 p. 192 “Critic’s Pick” Landi, Ann

Chelsea Clinton News/The Westsider (USA) March 6, 2008 p. 9 “The Power of Nothing” Bendik, Joe

Inside Magazine (Bulgaria) Spring pp. 76-79

UVY Magazine (Mexico) Vol. 4 pp. 16-17 Mendoza, Manuel

UK Times (UK) August 6-12, 2005 p. 37

Kita-no-Machi (Japan) November 2004

Gekkan Abokku (Japan) October 2004

Kita-no-Machi (Japan) October 2004

Mainichi Shinbun (Japan) October 31, 2004 “Work Shop-Drawing” Muramatsu, Hiroshi

Asashi Shinbun (Japan) October 25, 2004 “Self portrait with the texture of wood and stone”

Mainichi Shinbun (Japan) October 23, 2004

Touou Daily (Japan) October 22, 2004

Aomori Wide (Japan) October 21, 2004

Kouhou Aomori (Japan) October 15, 2004

Milliyet Sanat (Turkey) March 2004 “Kadin ve Sfenks” pp. 52-53

Instituto de Arquitectura, Diseno y Arte (Mexico) March 2003″Esculturas de luz y sombra”

Art in America (USA) January 2003 p. 106 “Kumi Yamashita at Kent” Koplos, Janet

ARTL!ES (USA) Fall 2002 p. 77 “The Still Point : Kumi Yamashita” Hendrick, Becky

Containment/ Llanternam Grange Art Centre Catalog (UK) 2002

El Paso Scene (USA) September 2002 “Art Scene”

El Paso Inc. (USA) September 8-14, p. 16b 2002

El Paso Times (USA) -Living September 1, 2002 “New exhibit to feature paintings on bedsheets” Lorente, Jeany

El Paso Times (USA) Tiempo August 30, 2002 p. 29 “Exhibits”

BT (Japan) Vol.54 No. 824 August 2002 p. 213 “Yamashita Kumi” Usuki, Naoko

Tempyou (Japan)-Art Exhibition commentary 012 Issue Summer2002 pp. 6,21,22 Sibusawa, Kazuhiko

Studio Voice (Japan) Vol. 318 June 2002 p. 97 “Unexpected Images from Simple Methods”

Gallery May 2002 p. 37 “Kumi Yamashita-Extraordinary out of ordinary”

Voice Choices (USA) April 30,2002

New York Magazine (USA) April 22, 2002 p. 130 “Shadow play”

Clovis News Journal (USA) September 2, 2001 “Exhibit In Pane” Mitchell, Gary

Exploring Visual Design (USA) p. 49

JOUMOU (Japan) March19, 2001 ” A thought over human existence” Iijima, Tetsuya

Village News (USA) February 14, 2001 “A Procession of Obsession” Bratten, Dawna

Art Week (USA)April2001 Volume 32 Issue 4 “obsession” at the University Art Gallery, UC San Diego

The List (USA) October 5-19, 2001

Swivel (USA) Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Winter 2000

The List (USA) October19-November 2, 2000

The Herald (UK) October 10, 2000 “Godot is not coming” Thompson, Robert

Evening Times (UK) October19, 2000 “Something there for all Beckett fans”

The Big Issue in Scotland (UK) October 12-18, 2000 “Puppetry and Shadows, would Beckett approve?” Eaton, Andrew

Visiting Arts (UK) Number43:Summer2000 issue “Beckett Time : Seeing the world differently with Samuel Beckett” Sharrocks, Lucy p.18-19

ZOO (UK) August2000:Sixth Edition pp. 208-209

Art Monthly (UK) November 1999/NO231 p. 34

The Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art 1999 Exhibition Catalogue (UK) pp. 158-159

Daily Post (UK) November 5, 1999 ” On Top Form” Key, Phillip

Daily Post (UK) September 28, 1999 “Exhibit of the Day”

The Independent (UK) September 28, 1999 “When bigger isn’t better” Lubbock, Tom

Liverpool City (UK) Issue 3, July 1999

Bay Guardian (UK) August 6, 1999 “Art – Kumi Yamashita, Cathy McClure” Coleman, Sarah

Where® San Francisco (USA) July 1999 p. 1

San Francisco Chronicle (USA) July 10, 1999 B1 B8 Col.1 ” Collaboration Ideas at Yerba Buena” Baker, Kenneth

San Francisco Examiner (USA) July 6, 1999 “Art as a team effort” Bonetti, Daniel

Gallery Guide National Edition (USA) June 1999 p56 “Cathy McClure and Kumi Yamashita at Yerba Buena”

Asian Week/San Francisco (USA) May 27, 1999 Vol.20, No.39 ” Door of Perception” Liu, Calvin

Hokubei Mainichi/San Francisco (USA) May 18, 1999 “Shadow Profile and Portrait at Yerba Buena”

Idaho Statesman (USA) May 3, 1998 “Play of Light” Flagg, Marienne

Artist Trust (USA) Vol.12 Number 2 Summer 1998 p. 1

International Examiner (USA) September 3-16, 1997 p. 17 “Kumi Yamashita:Shadow and truth” Santos, Owen

Documents Northwest/the PONCHO series August 1997 Seattle/Boise Art Museum Exhibition Catalogue (USA) Halper, Vicki

Hokubeihouchi (USA) August 25,1997 “Kumi Yamashita, an artist using light and shadow” Nakao

Seattle Post Intelligencer (USA) August 22, 1997 “Building blocks Become poetic when Kumi Yamashita casts shadows” Josslin, Victoria

Compass (USA) Fall 1997 ” Art of Seattle” pp. 32,52

The Stranger (USA) August 14, 1997 “Shadow Knows” Frederickson, Eric

International Examiner (USA) August 6-19, 1997 “Highlights” p. 20

International Examiner (USA) June 4-17, 1997 “ART ETC” Lau, Alan

North American Post (USA) May 30, 1997 “Shoe Prints Create “Someone Else’s Mess” p.10

Reflex (USA) August-September, 1994 “ROUNDUPS” Bryant, Elizabeth

About — Kumi Yamashita (2024)

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