YOD Gallery is delighted to present Yamamoto Yukyo Exhibition “Blue Tents and Five Rings”.

The world is full of little things so trivial that we barely notice them. Yukyo Yamamoto believes that such miniscule things hide greatness that vastly surpasses their assigned value. “Seeing the rainbow in the shimmer of a rice grain; feeling the echo of a person in the grime on a coin; imagining Mount Fuji in the blue color of a tarp.” He muses that the very substance of reality is not intangible, but rather it is always within our grasp.

“If you grasp just one leaf, you have the whole universe in your hand.” These words attributed to Japanese Master painter Yukihiko Yasuda, have been of great influence to Yukyo Yamamoto’s artistic process. “The historical meaning of this sentence urges one to engage with the subject of painting innocently, without obstructive thoughts. The connection made between a tiny thing like a leaf, and the universe, which is infinitely large in scale, also made me think of how little things can open your mind to the greatness of the world. If you do not think to look, a fallen leaf by your feet is merely a leaf. In a way to you it is not even a leaf at all. Yet once you direct your eyes to it, you can see a world there that encompasses the universe. This is how Yasuda’s words made me feel”, Yamamoto says.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are approaching, and the clamor has made Yamamoto recall a sight that he saw while still a student. A scene of makeshift blue tarp dwellings of the people living in the woods behind the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo is vivid in his memory. At the time, banners proclaiming Japan’s candidacy to host the games were dangling around the stadium. Yamamoto recalls feeling as if the banners were meant to overshadow the presence of the inhabitants. Later, when Japan was announced as the 2020 host, the homeless of the area were forcibly relocated. As the curtain of the Olympic Games is being veiled, the success of the event is thrust as a goal upon the entire nation. However, to pave way for a moment of glory, it is inevitable that other things end up sacrificed or covered up. As if pulling a tarp over what you do not wish others to see. In this hour when Olympics are all but upon us, Yukyo Yamamoto focuses on what is likely to be overlooked, and by weaving it into his artistic expression, forces the viewer to see a reality that will never disappear, no matter how hard you try to hide it. Please join us at YOD Gallery to see this exhibition in person.