Artist Statement:
My paintings are often interior scenes of my surroundings, which focus on color, light, and spatial relationships. My paintings relate to my experience of being involved with theater throughout my life personally and professionally, and my paintings somehow remain theatrical. I design the scenery, costume, and lighting. I place people in the space, and I give them directions. The result is a combination of my intention and how the paintings respond to my directions. As there are surprises and spontaneity on stage, I let myself be open to them on canvas, letting the paints react to each other to create something that does not exist in real life but only on canvas. I am interested in depicting intimate spaces, highlighting the joy of everyday life.

Artist Bio:
Karin Yamamoto, a native of Japan, moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue education in the arts, and received a BFA in Visual Arts with concentration in Painting and Drawing from SUNY Purchase College in 2009. In 2010, she held a solo exhibition My So-Called Patterned Life at The Rockland Center for the Arts and in 2013, she was commissioned by Steinway & Sons to design and paint a custom-made piano as part of a charity concert held at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2020, Karin was selected as one of the winners of the Web Art Exhibition Forward Together! organized by The Nippon Club and received the special Ambassador Yamanouchi Award with an exhibition at Ambassador’s Residence. Karin is a member of Japanese Artists Association of New York (JAANY) and has exhibited her work at the group’s annual exhibition at Tenri Cultural Institute of New York since 2022. In 2024, Karin’s work was selected for the School of Visual Arts’ Continuing Education program’s Summer 2024 Showcase at SVA’s Flatiron Project Space.