岡村よるこ / Yoruko Okamura

Exhibitions
2018
“Okamura Yoruko Solo Exhibition”, “POST E ART” BALLOD’EEAI Art GALLERY, Tokyo
“Liful Artmore Award Exhibition” Hiroshige Gallery, Tokyo
“Tokyo Wonder Seed 2018” Tokyo Arts and Space Hongo, Tokyo
2017
“Tokyo Art Book Fair 2017” Warehouse TERADA, Tokyo
“Kitasando Alternative” LiquiTex, Tokyo
“Tokyo Wnder Seed 2017” Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya, Tokyo
2016
“LiquiTex Expo”, Tokyo
“MOUNT ZINE 11 TOKYO” Publication Studio, Portland U.S.
“Okamura Yoruko Exhibition “War of X’ mas ”” Kyobashi Gallery-d-Tokyo, Tokyo
2015
“TRANS ARTS TOKYO 2015” N Chiyoda 3331, Tokyo
“SIGF 16” Spiral, Wacoal Art Center, Tokyo
2014
“LiquiTex art prize” Chiyoda 3331, Tokyo
“Flesh Off the Rocket, Ship” Hellion Gallery, Portland U.S.
“SIGF 15” Spiral, Wacoal Art Center, Tokyo
2013
“Tokyo Art Book Fair 2013” Kyoto University of Art and Design, Tohoku University of Art and Design, Gaien Campus, Tokyo
2012
“Group Exhibition : 1 Exhibition” Tokyo
2008
“Group Exhibition : Gallery LEDECO” Tokyo

Prizes and Others
2018
“Tokyo Wonder Seed 2018” selected and sold
“Liful Artmore Award” selected
“TOKYO ART GAFHERING” (planning)
2017
“Tokyo Wonder Seed 2018” selected and sold
“Loft Work E TI TIONS Happy Greeting card 2017”
2015
“13th Graphic １WALL” selected
“Almanac of Japan Typography Association 15” selected
2014
“Almanac of Japan Typography Association 14” selected
“LiquiTex Art Prize 14” selected
201~ “Greeting Girls – panties font card” (design) this has been sold at Office Brand Re+g (stores dealing in this card are chiyda 3331 museum shop, Yokohama TRIENNALE and many other stores )

Born in Yokohama
Lives and works in Tokyo

Education
2011 B.F.A Graphic Design, Tama Art University

I project my thoughts and feelings provoked from daily or social life into drawings as girls and panties. Since I spent my childhood in the U.S. and noticed that writing expresses emotions, I have been interested in characters that evoke feelings. I entered Tama Art University to learn the basics communication design and typography.
After graduation have had hands-on experience with the practical thoughts and methods in using writing and information.

I am struggling to find a way to integrate expressive techniques, such as drawing, designing and illustration.

I like musing over many things while drinking alcohol or coffee and I love staying up late, too. These are often made motifs in my drawings, my lifework.

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In daily life, communication is key when forming a relationship with others; characters are essential in supplementing this. If people do not have a common understanding, they are merely figures. I was suddenly thrown into this kind of language environment in my childhood when I understood this, and was attracted to the simple beauty of the shapes and figures.

Since the Trajan Column, said to be the finest example of the Roman alphabet, was built in 113 AD, to the present where print technology has developed and diagrams and characters are distributed over the world, in both the east and the west, aesthetically refined characters have been recognised under the context of typeface. However, because of the nature of characters, it is difficult for the beauty to be appreciated in front of meaning – characters are still simply characters to the public.

Following questions that raised from these thoughts, I began to use a self-designed font “panties font” in order to express the pure aesthetical aspect of characters.

“panties font” represent the alphabet and hiragana, but they are also like a girl’s legs. It was just a combination of something I was intrigued by and was drawing, but it is also an attempt to separate the characters from meaning.

To the viewer, it is an attempt to connect random motifs.

When trying to understand something that you are familiar with, it is natural to unconsciously read characters familiar to yourself, and try to create meaning in the whole picture.

This attempt is what is comforting in connecting the meaningless, interesting in creating a new meaning, and the truth in communication is.

I hope to share this experience of beauty in communication with the audience.

The ideas depicted on her canvas show that this would typically be categorised as illustration, however, there was something catching about it, staying to the final selection. I then checked her statement to confirm my instincts upon seeing her work.

“”I project my thoughts and feelings provoked from daily or social life into drawings as girls and panties. Since I spent my childhood in the U.S. and noticed that writing expresses emotions, I have been interested in characters (font) that evoke feelings. I entered Tama Art University to learn the basics of communication design and typography””.

I retraced the canvas, fantasising about the strange stories that led her to the world of fonts. If it were just girly, the presented ideas may have been dismissed as an old trend, but I find myself searching for something.

The forms and colours are reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s drawings of shoes, or Henri Matisse’s Dance. Any piece that leaves questions until the very end, is sure to show development. Art is after all, a question not an answer.

(Public)