YOKO ICHIMURA

Born in Hokkaido, Japan.
Graduated from the Department of Oil Painting, College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University.
Based in Tokyo.

I create works with landscapes as my theme, focusing on the public histories and events of a place, as well as the personal emotions and information embedded within it. Through my own filter, I reconstruct landscapes, reinterpreting their layered meanings.

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Statement

For me, landscape is not merely a physical phenomenon unfolding before my eyes, but a multilayered entity that reflects history, culture, and the memories of both individuals and communities.
At times, it possesses a captivating force that compels us to pause, while at the same time containing vast amounts of information and shaping the very roots of identity.

What has left the deepest impression on me is the view of my hometown seen from a distant perspective. Growing up in an environment without a specific religion or rigid rules, I have come to strongly feel that it was the landscape itself that formed who I am.
By contrast, in certain regions of the world, religious norms and mythological worldviews have profoundly shaped people’s identities, with faith and absolute “truths” serving as the core of both individuals and communities. In Japan, however, identity formation has not necessarily centered on such truths. Rather, it seems that landscape and a sense of place have served as the foundation of existence. In other words, the “core” for Japanese people can be understood as the memories and experiences embedded in the natural environment and the landscapes that have guided the orientation of both the self and the collective.

Thus, landscape functions for me as the “core of Japanese identity,” and exploring this mode of existence lies at the heart of my artistic practice. Creating landscape-related works is therefore not merely a matter of personal expression, but also an inquiry into the question of “what kinds of landscapes can we share with others?”

To embody this awareness in my works, I use “map coordinates” as titles. These seemingly mechanical and anonymous numbers nonetheless point to a real “place,” imbued with time and memory. The use of coordinates expresses both the universality inherent in landscapes and the relativity of the world.

Today’s society, marked by diversification and fragmentation, faces a wavering sense of collective consciousness. In contemporary life, landscapes are becoming homogenized, making it difficult to perceive historical layers and regional uniqueness. Much like encounters through online meeting screens, landscapes are experienced as being “here” before us, while their temporal depth and narratives risk being lost. When people come to share thoughts across different locations beyond geographic constraints, the landscape at hand gradually disappears, reassembled into new images. I wish to imagine this transformation and, with hope, reflect on the present and future through the medium of landscape.

Urban landscapes, meanwhile, differ in structure from those of nature. Architectural vistas may appear artificial and superficial, yet they cannot be entirely separated from aspects of contemporary culture, such as the lookism symbolized by social media. In this sense, they too reflect the identity of modern collectives. While I do not always find myself at ease within such landscapes, I accept them positively.

When creating works based on the natural landscapes of my hometown, I refer to the compositional principles and perspectives of ink painting, while reconstructing the scenery through the contemporary medium of photography. In the process of shooting, I consciously design the viewpoint, striving to reflect images that arise in my mind. In doing so, I seek to reveal the invisible layers hidden within the visible world.

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AwardsSelected,

Tokyo Wonder Wall 2004 , SHIBUYA ART AWARDS 2022,  WATOWA ART AWARD 2023,SHIBUYA ART AWARDS 2024

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Group Exhibition

1999 011 Exhibition (KEY Gallery & Seika Gallery/Ginza) Thereafter, he exhibited until 2005.

2002 The 1st Sapporo Future Exhibition (Clock Tower Gallery/Sapporo)          

2003  2nd Sapporo Mirai Exhibition (Clock Tower Gallery/Sapporo)     

　　  Graduation Works Exhibition of Tokyo Five College of Fine Arts(Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum/Ueno)

          2.1 Sapporo Mirai Exhibition (Minamihoro Town)                                              

2004  Sapporo Mirai Exhibition (Clock Tower Gallery/Sapporo)      

2006 Group exhibition"Gelände" at Gallery Art Morimoto/Kyobashi 2022 Ergo VR site exhibition                                                

2022 Installation at KORERU, Oimachi, Tokyo                         

2022 SHIBUYA ART AWARDS    (Daikanyama Hillside Terrace)

2023 WATOWA ART AWARD 2023 EXHIBITION（WATOWA GALLERY / THE BOX TOKYO ）

2024 SHIBUYA ART AWARDS    (Daikanyama Hillside Terrace)

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