Motoi Yamamoto

Using a simple household material, salt, as his primary medium, Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto creates fantastical blizzards and seascapes that touch upon conceptual frontiers. Since Hi-Fructose correspondent Nathan Spoor interviewed Yamamoto in 2009, the artist has had several solo shows that yielded delicate, pristine works that are entrancing to look at with their repetitive and meticulous details. Many of Yamamoto’s works have a labyrinthine structure that the artist describes as “nearly reachable, yet not quite,” alluding to the idea of trying to recall past experiences and coming to terms with the fleeting nature of memory. Take a look at some of Yamamoto’s latest works from his shows at the Bellevue Arts Museum, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and the Hakone Open-Air Museum. Via HiFructose.

Yuko Nishimura

Japanese artist Yuko Nishimura reworks single sheets of handmade paper into abstract, contoured works of art in her series labeled as Relief. She employs the paper folding techniques used in origami to transform the special Japanese paper known as kyokushi into mesmerizing geometric patterns. She combines traditional methods with contemporary aesthetics across a monochromatic color scheme to make for one visually interesting set of paper structures that echo the shape and visual pattern of mandalas.

Adding to their intriguing form is the fact that, unlike typical origami, they remain fairly two-dimensional. The grooves created through Nishimura’s expert execution of paper folding certainly adds some dimension to the paper, but it looks more like a flat, symmetrical piece of circular paper has been drawn on. It’s hard to believe that the smooth creases are, in fact, folds. Light plays a crucial role in the way abstract designs and shadows are created as it hits the artist’s creations, revealing the folds. Still, her ability to create such clean and curving lines is absolutely astounding. Nishimura’s work reflect her meticulous skill and patience. Via My Modern Met.

Stefan Künzler