Between Us Ed.2 - Yamaura Nodoka
For the second edition of Between Us, the KURA Gallery is excited to introduce Yamaura Nodoka-san! We will be hosting her opening event on June 26th. Yamaura-san will have a talk at 5 pm about her work and any other questions that visitors may have.
Yamaura-san lives in the Shikoku region in a town where she uses washi paper from the local factory and traditional Japanese indigo dye to create her artwork. Nature is her main inspiration, as she focuses on capturing the feelings that being in it can evoke.
I hope the next couple of questions will give you further insight and give you inspiration for more questions.
1. What first drew you to washi paper and indigo dye as your main materials?
In the winter of 2019, I participated in the Awagami Artist-in-Residence program, where I created and presented washi works that explored the sensation of light.
After that, I wanted to deepen my understanding of washi, so I moved from Tokyo to Tokushima and began working at Awagami Factory, where I became involved in the production of handmade washi and indigo-dyed washi.
Through experiencing the material qualities of washi, its relationship with light, and the ever-changing expressions of indigo dye at each moment, I began to feel a natural resonance with the ideas of “light” and “presence” that I aim to express in my work.
Through washi and indigo dye, I hope to express the light, presence, and natural beauty that are often overlooked in everyday life.
2. Do you see your work as something that is “made,” or something that gradually “emerges”?
My work is something that gradually reveals itself over time.
Before I begin creating, I carefully consider the concept, but once I start drawing, I explore where my pattern (NODOKA) wants to move by engaging in a dialogue with my hands, my mind, and the atmosphere of the space itself. Unexpected flows and discoveries often emerge, and I value these moments of chance.
Rather than presenting a finished answer, I want to leave within my work the moments where discoveries are made and a sense of living movement.
3. Washi paper is very delicate; how do you think about fragility in your work?
I actually feel a sense of strength within the delicacy of washi.
Washi is born from trees as they grow, and from their fibers. From there, it becomes a single sheet of paper through many processes and the hands of many people. While it is often associated with fragility and transience, behind it lies the power of nature and human craftsmanship, and I feel a vast energy that I could never create on my own.
I am drawn to both the qualities of delicacy and strength that coexist within.
4. Do you think viewers should understand the process behind the work, or is feeling enough?
I hope people can first experience the feeling in an intuitive way.
My work contains “discovery.” At first glance, the surface may appear empty, but patterns exist within it, and they can only be noticed when the viewer changes their angle of observation.
In my practice, I place great importance on the viewer’s physical movement. By leaning in, crouching down, or looking up, new perspectives and discoveries emerge. I consider these experiences to be part of the work itself.
Through my work, I hope to create moments that bring back small discoveries and subtle realizations, such as the moments of light that are often overlooked in everyday life.
5. If someone could only experience your work for a few seconds, what do you hope they would feel first?
It is the feeling of “discovery.”
I would be happy if viewers could experience moments such as “ah, it was there” or “ah, it existed here.”
I believe such discoveries also exist in everyday life and in nature. In ordinary, unremarkable moments, we suddenly notice something. I believe that the small surprise and joy born in those moments are what move people’s hearts. I also believe that anything that moves the heart carries a beautiful light within it. This is my personal philosophy.
Through my work, I hope to share this sense of perception and discovery.
6. If indigo had a sound or a rhythm, what do you imagine it would be?
Indigo is a very quiet presence, but I feel there is an unseen strength within it.
It is calm, yet carries a kind of heat, and seems to hold a rhythm like the flow of wind or the rippling of a water surface. Indigo reveals a different expression in each passing moment, almost as if it were a living being.
This coexistence of stillness and strength is also deeply connected to the sensibility I value in my own work.
GALLERY THOUGHTS
I have yet to see Yamaura-san’s work in person, but just from the photos, I already love the natural beauty in them. The combination of indigo and the patterns evokes a sense of calm and soothing, which is something nature is especially good at.
I particularly enjoy Yamaura-san’s concept of “discovery.” She embraces the natural opportunities that open when you are creating anything. One of the many things I learned about creating art is that a mistake is never truly a mistake. It is a chance you can take and make it into something special.
I hope our visitors can have their own discovery as well when they view her work.
- Rachel, UltraSuperNew Gallery Assistant
