132 ARTIST SHOWCASE Mika Yajima
1 x 9 Composition Whirlpool / 2018, textile, mixed collarge with frame, 39.5 x 89.5 x 7.5 cm
Mika Yajima
M
ateriality is an important aspect of Mika Yajima’s work, whose fibre artworks an almost contradictory combination of thin, delicate threads and strong, sturdy metal. Informed by her experience of working in the production of artworks for kimono and architectural objects, her process uses original techniques that see her weaving, knotting and collaging the mix of mediums. Yajima’s sculptural pieces often take the form of large-scale installations that inhabit entire rooms of the gallery, or expand outwards from the confines of a frame, always playing with the paradoxical contrast of light and heavy, soft and hard. Her smaller, more intimate pieces also hold
a big impact, both visually and with the meaning they hold on a spiritual level. Her practice has recently seen her focusing on ideas which transform dyed and woven folk craft materials into pieces of contemporary art; imagining ways in which the traditional Japanese fabrics may be interpreted across the world, through another’s eyes. Based in Japan, Yajima exhibits her work internationally in group shows and at prestigious art fairs. This October she will participate in XIIth Florence Biennale, at Fortezza da Basso, Florence. mikayajima.com contact@mikayajima.com