Sculpting Shadows

about Kumi Yamashita

Just by using simple objects and light, Kumi Yamashita sculpts her shadow-forms on surfaces, shocking our cognitive skills and making us get a better view or maybe touch before believing. Of course, the game is in her particular working the materials and placing them in relation to a single light source. The rest is all to imagine, since she doesn’t like talking about her work.

“I am reminded of an experience I had years ago… A musician friend of mine was asked by someone to describe his music. After a valiant attempt to articulate his work, it became clear that we were all bored to death including himself. I vowed never to inflict that on someone else!“.

Born in Japan, just outside of Tokyo, Kumi lived there until she came to the States as a high school exchange student. It seems her destiny as an artist is always been in her name.

“Ever since I was little I was euphoric as long as I was left alone to draw or make something. in fact, my father named me kumi, which uses two chinese characters the first character ‘工’ translates as ‘to make or create’ and the second character ‘美’ translates as ‘beauty’. so maybe my dad jinxed me! I was very fortunate in that my parents never once questioned the direction I chose to continue making ‘impractical’ things. instead, they gave me all the support a child could ask for. I never consciously made a decision to become an artist, I just continued doing what I most enjoyed“.