KOICHI YAMAMOTO The language of printmaking, traditional and contemporary Born in Japan, Yamamoto is an artist who merges the traditional and contemporary in the language of printmaking. With a strong background in ceramics, Yamamoto’s works are often sculptural. Such is the case with his origami folded prints in deep shadow box frames. The folded etchings, smallish in size (10” x 12”) belie their strong impact. Yamamoto admits to recently studying facial expressions, and these origami figures seem reminiscent of William Blake’s visionary work. Dramatically different in scale are two towering monotypes (each 96” high).
Painterly and
luxurious with nuanced application of viscose pigment, their broad swaths of black remind one of a Franz Kline painting, but more graceful. “The monotype,” says Yamamoto, “is transparent— there are no interruptions in form as it appears. It is a seemingly tangible moment, and like tectonic plates, it is dynamic and in constant motion.” Engraving is a specimen of the crafted work, while the monotype is an act of investigation. Yamamoto completed a BFA in 1992 at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, and then moved to Krakow, Poland, to continue his artistic production. He studied copper engraving at Bratislava Academy of Fine Arts in Slovakia and continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland. In 1999, he completed his MFA at University of Alberta, Canada, and moved to Denmark, where he worked as a textile designer before beginning his teaching career. Today, he is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville—considered one of the top printmaking programs in the country.