Yuli Yamagata

The artist graduated from the University of São Paulo with a BFA in sculpture and has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2015. Through her Japanese heritage, she has become interested in different aspects of the culture, including shibori, a manual tie-dyeing technique, and manga.

In the words of Andrea K. Scott, writing for The New Yorker in 2021, Yamagata is “wildly imaginative [ … ] fascinated by the macabre-from vampires to manga-and by the tension between revulsion and beauty.” To create her wall works and sculptures, she works primarily with fabric, sewing together different textiles, such as silk and velvet, often selecting patterned pieces. She stretches the fabric over canvases or builds up free-standing objects. Working with resin and paint, Yamagata glues an eclectic range of found objects-from garlic to chopsticks and corncobs to the surface of her pieces. Her fascination with sportswear has led to the incorporation of sneakers and an abundant use of Lycra. In an interview with Rory Mitchell for Ocula in 2021, Yamagata explains: “I start every sculpture by choosing a kind of ‘challenge,’ usually informed by the physicality of the material itself or by a chosen narrative.”

Yamagata’s interest in mystery, the otherworldly and dreamscapes comes through in the titles of her recent shows: “Sweet Dreams, Nosferatu” at Anton Kern Gallery, New York, and “Insomnia” at Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo (both 2021). She cites David Lynch and North American sci-fl movies of the 1990s as influences. Discussing the latter with Mitchell, she says: “By using green, purple and pink tones for skin or limbs, I mainly wanted to create works connected to feelings, sensations and emotions; works that the viewer could relate to regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, and so on.”