STUDIO YUMIKO FURUKAWA

Yumiko Furukawa (born in 1975 in Fukushima, Japan) is a Japanese contemporary artist, painter, and sculptor based in Guam and Tokyo.

In the early years of her artistic journey, spanning from 2000 to 2010, her creative endeavors encompassed drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations, and performances that were a bridge between literature and the visual arts, exploring how language shapes knowledge and communication.

However, after experiencing natural disasters such as the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the theme of her work shifted dramatically. These unforeseen events provided the impetus for the creation of new art. At the same time, She realized that artists were creating works that seemed to predict changes in the world from the collective consciousness of the living. Her current focus is on life and death, as well as life’s connection to the universe.

Furukawa’s works are created using a variety of materials including pencil, paper, watercolor, oil, wood, ceramic, resin, fabric, and spray coating. These works simultaneously possess opposing characteristics: black and white, hard and soft, opaque and translucent, geometric and organic shapes. While maintaining a sense of intimacy with the viewer, they also maintain a sense of distance, giving them a mysterious presence. She deeply believes that these magical works of art have the power to change the world for the better.

Paintings that connect to the universe, sculptures to stand on the earth

Why do paintings reflect the future?

And why do sculptures give birth to the earth?

The answer is that art confronts contemporary social and cultural challenges and fulfills its mission to show the direction of the future. With their art, the artist speaks for the collective consciousness of the people, leading them to a form of compassion, healing, and compassion.

I am working far away from my hometown, Fukushima. It is also a long way from New York, where I have lived for a long time. Guam is a small remote island in the Pacific Ocean, and the horizon seen from the window in front of me is connected to every continent on earth. Therefore, it is on remote islands that aspects of contemporary society first appear. Natural disasters caused by global and climatic changes cannot be prevented by island dwellers. Like nature, which cannot be controlled, the acceleration of humanity cannot be controlled either.

In my studio in Guam, I can faintly hear the sound of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit, my pencil scratching on the paper, and my brush spinning in the glass bottle washer. My work is born from the experience of living on such an island. As an artist, through my paintings and sculptures, I express a spiritual world that moves between reality and the otherworld, and I draw with the memory of the landscape as if it were an automatic writing. Who knows if my creative process corresponds to what André Breton experienced as “surrealist automatism” in 1920. In my studio, however, I continue to work in a state of “automatic writing” or “free writing”. And on the night I drew someone’s eye, Typhoon Marwar made landfall. All of these inspirations, from the connection of coincidence and inevitability, lead me to the finished work. And as the physicality of the self separates from the spirit, my sense of touch becomes hypersensitive and the sculpture is molded. I feel the weight and the slippery texture of the clay, shaping the cells and the sea. Then, in my friend’s studio in Japan, feeling the horizon, I pour chemical resins colored from sunrise to sunset, piling them up like the strata of the earth.

The earth gives birth to the sculpture and connects it to my own body; the universe tries to connect with my spirit through the paintings. That is why I create my work.

February 5, 2024
Yumiko Furukawa

Paintings that connect to the universe, sculptures to stand on the earth

Why do paintings reflect the future?

And why do sculptures give birth to the earth?

The answer is that art confronts contemporary social and cultural challenges and fulfills its mission to show the direction of the future. With their art, the artist speaks for the collective consciousness of the people, leading them to a form of compassion, healing, and compassion.

I am working far away from my hometown, Fukushima. It is also a long way from New York, where I have lived for a long time. Guam is a small remote island in the Pacific Ocean, and the horizon seen from the window in front of me is connected to every continent on earth. Therefore, it is on remote islands that aspects of contemporary society first appear. Natural disasters caused by global and climatic changes cannot be prevented by island dwellers. Like nature, which cannot be controlled, the acceleration of humanity cannot be controlled either.

In my studio in Guam, I can faintly hear the sound of the air conditioner’s outdoor unit, my pencil scratching on the paper, and my brush spinning in the glass bottle washer. My work is born from the experience of living on such an island. As an artist, through my paintings and sculptures, I express a spiritual world that moves between reality and the otherworld, and I draw with the memory of the landscape as if it were an automatic writing. Who knows if my creative process corresponds to what André Breton experienced as “surrealist automatism” in 1920. In my studio, however, I continue to work in a state of “automatic writing” or “free writing”. And on the night I drew someone’s eye, Typhoon Marwar made landfall. All of these inspirations, from the connection of coincidence and inevitability, lead me to the finished work. And as the physicality of the self separates from the spirit, my sense of touch becomes hypersensitive and the sculpture is molded. I feel the weight and the slippery texture of the clay, shaping the cells and the sea. Then, in my friend’s studio in Japan, feeling the horizon, I pour chemical resins colored from sunrise to sunset, piling them up like the strata of the earth.

The earth gives birth to the sculpture and connects it to my own body; the universe tries to connect with my spirit through the paintings. That is why I create my work.

February 5, 2024
Yumiko Furukawa

Recent Works

In 2019, Furukawa moved to Guam, drawn by the island’s beautiful landscape and cultural attractions. Inspired by her new surroundings, she created a new series of pencil drawings, “Changing Sea,” and in 2023, her unique talents were highlighted in the Guam region with her solo exhibition “Pressure” at Guam CAHA Gallery. She is inspired by the life force of the earth against the backdrop of Guam’s spectacular nature, which she uses as inspiration for her daily work.

In the future, Furukawa’s artistic eye will be directed not only to Guam, but also to Fukushima, Tokyo, New York, and other areas with which she is closely connected.

2021-03-02T01:34:34+09:00

2019

Tokyo Independent 2019 | Chinretsukan Gallery, The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Art, Tokyo | April 18 – May 5, 2019

2021-03-02T00:52:31+09:00

2018

Zeno Woman | Fukushima Biennale 2018 | Adachigahara Furusato Mura, Nihonmatsu-city, Fukushima, Japan | October 13 – November 4, 2018

2021-03-02T11:06:15+09:00

2017

Through the Glass | The Project “Glass Futuristic History”, AGC Asahi Glass Company x Tokyo University of the Arts | Tokyo University of the Arts Yuga Gallery, Tokyo | May 15 – 20, 2017

2021-03-02T01:00:11+09:00

2015

Hai Kaburi | OZASAHAYASHI Kyoto, Kyoto | September 19 – October 24, 2015

2021-03-03T04:57:16+09:00

2015

Mishima Waraku: Harmonious Three Islands | Workshop View | Morinohakobune Art Project | IORI Club, Mishima city, Oonuma, Fukushima October 5, November 10, 2014 January 25, 2015

2021-03-03T04:34:37+09:00

2014

Hannah's Garden | Folly Trial | Asakusa Culture Tourist Center, Tokyo | November 13 − 24, 2014

2021-03-02T11:12:43+09:00

2014

World of Resonance | Collection Cooking: Looking Near/Thinking Far - Dialogue and Creation | Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukushima city, Fukushima | July 19 − September 15, 2014

2021-02-27T09:39:37+09:00

2013

Spuyten Duyvil | hpgrp Gallery New York, New York | August 15 − 24, 2013

2021-03-02T01:10:46+09:00

2013

Chobozekka: The sole place where you can see matchless views | Setouchi Art Triennale 2013, Shodoshima, Kagawa, Japan | March 20 – April 21, Summer: July 20 – September 1, October 5 – November 4, 2013

2021-03-03T04:58:09+09:00

2011

Asaja: Snake Morning Tea | Aizu Urushi Art festival 2011: Yell to Tohoku | Restaurant Tsuki to Ohisama, Kitakata, Fukushima, Japan | October 1 – November 3, 2011

2021-03-02T01:15:35+09:00

2010

Art Reviews Drawings | Studio Yumiko Furukawa, New York | May 8 − 10, 2010

2021-03-02T01:16:43+09:00

2009

QUOTATION | ISE Cultural Foundation, New York | January 7 – February 20, 2009

2021-03-02T01:17:41+09:00

2007

May | International Studio and Curatorial Program | New York | May 4 − 7, 2007

2021-03-03T04:58:57+09:00

2006

FLICKER | Gallery Side 2, Tokyo, Japan | December 22 − January 26, 2006

2021-03-02T01:19:37+09:00

2006

The Rules | Roentgenwerke AG, Tokyo, Japan | October 6 – 28, 2006

2021-02-27T04:44:04+09:00

2005

Tent for Poet | Japan, Scotland, Taiwan and Portugal represented in Group Show at Location One | Location One, New York | June 4 − July 30, 2005

2021-03-03T04:26:14+09:00

2003

Awafuku and Komefuku: Cinderella Story in Tokamachi City | Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003 | Nurigi Butsudan Shop, Tokamachi, Niigata, Japan | July 20 – September 7, 2003

2021-03-02T01:28:17+09:00

2001

Titanic Daisy | Gallery Side 2, Tokyo, Japan | May 29 – June 22, 2001

2021-03-02T01:30:29+09:00

2000

Reading Book Series | room, Gentilly, France | October 28 – December 4, 2000

Recent Works

In 2019, Furukawa moved to Guam, drawn by the island’s beautiful landscape and cultural attractions. Inspired by her new surroundings, she created a new series of pencil drawings, “Changing Sea,” and in 2023, her unique talents were highlighted in the Guam region with her solo exhibition “Pressure” at Guam CAHA Gallery. She is inspired by the life force of the earth against the backdrop of Guam’s spectacular nature, which she uses as inspiration for her daily work.

In the future, Furukawa’s artistic eye will be directed not only to Guam, but also to Fukushima, Tokyo, New York, and other areas with which she is closely connected.

2021-03-02T01:34:34+09:00

2019

Tokyo Independent 2019 | Chinretsukan Gallery, The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Art, Tokyo | April 18 – May 5, 2019

2021-03-02T00:52:31+09:00

2018

Zeno Woman | Fukushima Biennale 2018 | Adachigahara Furusato Mura, Nihonmatsu-city, Fukushima, Japan | October 13 – November 4, 2018

2021-03-02T11:06:15+09:00

2017

Through the Glass | The Project “Glass Futuristic History”, AGC Asahi Glass Company x Tokyo University of the Arts | Tokyo University of the Arts Yuga Gallery, Tokyo | May 15 – 20, 2017

2021-03-02T01:00:11+09:00

2015

Hai Kaburi | OZASAHAYASHI Kyoto, Kyoto | September 19 – October 24, 2015

2021-03-03T04:57:16+09:00

2015

Mishima Waraku: Harmonious Three Islands | Workshop View | Morinohakobune Art Project | IORI Club, Mishima city, Oonuma, Fukushima October 5, November 10, 2014 January 25, 2015

2021-03-03T04:34:37+09:00

2014

Hannah's Garden | Folly Trial | Asakusa Culture Tourist Center, Tokyo | November 13 − 24, 2014

2021-03-02T11:12:43+09:00

2014

World of Resonance | Collection Cooking: Looking Near/Thinking Far - Dialogue and Creation | Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukushima city, Fukushima | July 19 − September 15, 2014

2021-02-27T09:39:37+09:00

2013

Spuyten Duyvil | hpgrp Gallery New York, New York | August 15 − 24, 2013

2021-03-02T01:10:46+09:00

2013

Chobozekka: The sole place where you can see matchless views | Setouchi Art Triennale 2013, Shodoshima, Kagawa, Japan | March 20 – April 21, Summer: July 20 – September 1, October 5 – November 4, 2013

2021-03-03T04:58:09+09:00

2011

Asaja: Snake Morning Tea | Aizu Urushi Art festival 2011: Yell to Tohoku | Restaurant Tsuki to Ohisama, Kitakata, Fukushima, Japan | October 1 – November 3, 2011

2021-03-02T01:15:35+09:00

2010

Art Reviews Drawings | Studio Yumiko Furukawa, New York | May 8 − 10, 2010

2021-03-02T01:16:43+09:00

2009

QUOTATION | ISE Cultural Foundation, New York | January 7 – February 20, 2009

2021-03-02T01:17:41+09:00

2007

May | International Studio and Curatorial Program | New York | May 4 − 7, 2007

2021-03-02T01:19:37+09:00

2006

The Rules | Roentgenwerke AG, Tokyo, Japan | October 6 – 28, 2006

2021-02-27T04:44:04+09:00

2005

Tent for Poet | Japan, Scotland, Taiwan and Portugal represented in Group Show at Location One | Location One, New York | June 4 − July 30, 2005

2021-03-03T04:26:14+09:00

2003

Awafuku and Komefuku: Cinderella Story in Tokamachi City | Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2003 | Nurigi Butsudan Shop, Tokamachi, Niigata, Japan | July 20 – September 7, 2003

2021-03-02T01:30:29+09:00

2000

Reading Book Series | room, Gentilly, France | October 28 – December 4, 2000

“Another work embodies the sea along the coast of Fukushima, which was hardened and sealed off with polyester.

It contains something that our eyes can’t see. Founded on the anger and despair of nothing being solved, Furukawa’s works continue to give silent screams.”

Hiroshi Senju (Artist)

“Another work embodies the sea along the coast of Fukushima, which was hardened and sealed off with polyester. It contains something that our eyes can’t see. Founded on the anger and despair of nothing being solved, Furukawa’s works continue to give silent screams.”

Hiroshi Senju (Artist)

About Yumiko Furukawa

Yumiko Furukawa’s artworks and portfolio

About Yumiko Furukawa

Yumiko Furukawa’s artworks and portfolio

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