Interview: Yuiko Amano
Luca Curci talks with Yuiko Amano during CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2019 at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space and during THE EXTENDED BODY 2020 at THE LINE Contemporary Art Space.

Yuiko Amano was born 1990 in Tsukuba City, Japan into scientists’ family, and grew up in Boulder, Colorado states, USA, and in Nara city, Japan. When she was in middle-year of high school, she engaged science and engineering pathway, and proceeded to a university based in Kyoto, Japan to major in civil engineering. After her graduation, she participated in research of development of observational instruments (hydrophone e.g.) applying data-analysis and acoustic engineering skills. After that, she moved to London, UK. She was enrolling in Royal College of Art, London, and majored in master’s course of architecture and urban design. Now her pathway is shifted to a field of fine art to focus on her representative language, and based in sculpture studio in Royal College of Art. A main concept in her art works is ‘mirage’ – it can be said as ‘fake utopia’, and actually, it has a lot of issues. She is sculpting a dystopian scenery of interior the ‘delusional sphere’ (a representation of the mirage, which is defined as an invisible and intangible or unseen element). The sphere includes imperialistic feudal society, and the various hierarchy systems are embodied in the form of quadrangular pyramids. Also, she is an actor of the fake documentaries and reflect diverse social issues in terms of the legacy of imperialism. Especially from the perspective of a Japanese female, she elucidate the problems that are the origins of friction and emotional hatred between neighboring countries starting from her country trough the political and geopolitical factors, and project it into her works. And she would like to highlight and sculpt various ‘mirages’ which caused by the essence of imperialism mainly introduced from her country, its heritage affecting today’s society, and the accompanying principles of imperialism from a global perspective (such as capitalism, anthropocentrism, ethnocentrism), with experimental and interactive attempt.

Luca Curci – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
Yuiko Amano – Originally, I majored in civil engineering in university and researched applying sound engineering and other technologies, but after that I became interested in the field of design, then moved to London to study urban design. While studying at Royal College of Art, I was inspired by the environment of fine arts then I was gradually interested in that field. Now, I am exploring new forms of sculpture, such as moving-images and sound works, mainly of conceptual art in sculpture studio. In my life experience, I had questioned, for example, inequality in society, imbalance of women’s leader population, status of disabilities, and difficulty of living and suffering of minorities in Japan. Then I desired to reveal it somewhere. Also, in my experiences in the United States from my childhood memories, my recognition of racial disparities that I felt in London, and the domination of European and American centralism in western world, I felt that world is ultimately dispirited somehow. I think that discouragement in the issues of ‘hierarchy’, ‘discrimination of minority’ and ‘legacy of imperialism’ were the biggest motivations to enter the fine art field for me. Also, my main background is engineering and architecture, so my works are mainly considering through technology, architecture, and post-humanistic life that shape our future.

LC – What are you currently working on?
YA – My current focus is healthcare and inequality. I had been working at a medical site in London for a while, then I would like to connect my experience with the world I have created so far to draw a new landscape of dystopia. I have also begun research on space exploration and ‘future medical care’.

LC – Are your artworks focused on a specific theme?
YA – My consistent theme is inequality, hierarchy, and the experience of minorities, but I also investigate and work on current and future topics related to human and nonhuman society (climate change, AI technology, space development, neo-imperialism / decolonialism, etc). I am not really particular about the medium in my practice, and I prefer expressing my interpretation using medium that can fit my work.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
YA – After all, it is farely difficult to think about how the concept I want to appeal is related to public. I always think about what makes my opinion suggestible and contributing to the world.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in the society? And the contemporary art?
YA – I think artists have always been mirrors and instigators of society. Also today’s contemporary art is, in particular, research, journalism and preparation for our future.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? In which way did it inspire you?
YA – I feel it would be great to try a new art in Venice, a place has a long history of art (and also in the famous event of Biennale). And the fact that involving artists from various countries was also interesting in the context of the current post-globalism.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
YA – I feel that methods of exhibiting a wide range of works from traditional to contemporary and representing the future was very suitable for the city of Venice. In terms of my work, it was an easy-to-understand phase where future and present creation by technology.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
YA – My understanding is that it is a open and multidisciplinary place that can be expected supporting creators comprehensively such as artists, designers and architects.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
YA – Yes, of course! Thank you for a wonderful opportunity of exhibition.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
YA – If there is other opportunities in the future, I would like to participate in it, especially the platform where technology and fine art can be collaborated.