Born in Okayama, Japan in 1964, Yamamoto received her Master’s degree at Musashino Art University in Tokyo in 1990 and later joined the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artist to complete her studies in London in 1999.
Yamamoto is one of Japan’s leading second-generation painters and known worldwide for her works depicting children showing animal features and enigmatic expressions. In her works, Yamamoto explores the theme of childhood subconscious and the feelings that stay inside of the baby investigating child psychology as a trampoline to adult introspection. In Yamamoto’s paintings, we discover an intricate puzzle of emotions and mysterious symbols. Strongly influenced by the way Marlene Dumas and Gilbert & George used to employ colours, Yamamoto’s art takes us in a journey between tenderness and fear to guide us to understand today’s children.
Since 1998, her work has been exhibited extensively in solo and group shows in Asia and Europe and it is included in the most prestigious international collections.
