Japanese Sound
Artist Yoko Ishikawa's exhibit, "Rubber Smell" uses variuos materials such as rubber, cloth and wood and has been gaining acclaim amongst the visitors...Since her recent graduation from Tokyo Zokei University, her work has been exhibited at Asian Art Now 2002 in Las Vegas
- Chunichi Shinbun (Daily Newspaper), October 8, 2002
...Yoko Ishikawa's exhibit creates sublime space through metal, resins, and glass. One work has wires growing like vines from floor to ceiling. Other works include sculptures that combine metal and stained glass, and oval paintings...Since she graduated three years ago from Tokyo Zokei University, she has been expressing her art as "self inquiry, away from the daily grind." Her sculptural works have an ephemeral atmosphere. The wire vines are covered in rusted copper threads, emitting gentle reflections. A sculpture hanging from a wire has many insect-like wings made of stained glass, piercing through itself. As you listen, the sound of triangle fills the space, performed by the artist herself. The paintings are like Czech animation or Islamic picture books, with imaginary creatures filling geometric space. Because they are oval, it looks like you're peeking into another world. Ishikawa consideres reality as "frame" and intends to create her own "space for meditation." Her poems are included in the exhibit as well, showing her intentions for her work...
- Chunichi Shinbun (Daily Newspaper), July 17, 2005
...A work that uses cloth covered by latex, "Fat Suits Hanger" by Yoko Ishikawa has won the second grand prize at the "New Art Mira 21 Show".
- Chunichi Shinbun (Daily Newspaper), July 17, 2002
Yoko Ishikawa creates works within an environment called "installations", which consist of various objects (hair, pantyhose, bamboo skin, etc) combined with her own sound compositions (tings of the triangle). Her concepts strive to "...create a space of meditation on a top of an imaginary surface of water at nighttime -- to seek one's true self - our original purpose - and to make time to think about one's own life which is often neglected in modern life -- The works theme is 'decomposition' and they float on that surface and create this space."
When she was younger, she admired modern ant and was striving to go to the US. When she came to New York this time to put together a group exhibit, she felt that,"I no longer feel the same admiration I felt when I was younger, but I felt stronger about pushing myself forward in a place that is made up of immigrants." She is currently planning for a long-term stay next year.
- Volume Japan (magazine), 2006 winter issue
Japan Artists Association currently has 5300 members. It was established in 1949 and its mission is to help develop art in Japan as wll as to help promote cross cultural interchange with arts organizations in the world. The organizatino has begun a new annual show of selected new members since last year. This year, they are exhibiting 16 new members who joined in 2007. The are mostly artists between the ages 20 - 30. There were 13 flat works, and 3 sculptures (one of which is Yoko Ishikawa's work, featured in the article). IT was a great opoortunity to see the new members high quality and level of work.
- Bijyutsu no Mado (Window of Art magazine), July 2008
...Yoko Ishikawa's "Three Inch Fingerprints" express the accumulation of daily experiences as "fingerprints" and the underdeveloped self as "Three Inches." Materials include brass.
- Gekkan Bijyutsu (Monthly art magazine), January 2004
Works made of glass and brass emerge from a dark room. Reflections on water, place of meditation...we recommend you go immerse yourself in the sublime space created by Yoko Ishikawa.
- Pia (weekly magazine), July, 2005
Yoko Ishikawa's "Water Mirror Thread" exudes an intense and dreamy quality. The fragility of glass is supported by the strong base of the sculpture, performing this godly feat.
- Art Town Nagoya, September 2003
The works by Yoko Ishikawa express mental images, which pierce the viewer's mind. View her art as you read her [poetic] statments of work.
- Art Town Nagoya, July 2005
Yutaka Ishikawa, who is a professor of art at Aichi Konan College, and his wife Yoshiko and daughter Yoko Ishikawa exhibit their works together - 63 pieces that include wood carvings, stained glass, and large illustrations by colored pencils.
- Asahi Shinbun (Daily Newspaper), April 14, 2005
Other Articles
2009
November, Japion, Weekly Newspaper
October 30, Daily Sun,Daily Newspaper
2008
February 8, YomiTime,Weekly Newspaper
January 8, Daily Sun, Daily Newspaper
2003
December Issue, "etc" (Art Magazine)