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About Yu Kuramitsu
Biography
Yu Kuramitsu is a Japanese oil painter who expresses the themes of spirits and love through her work. She began her artistic journey at the age of 10, studying at Atelier Kawado, where she honed her skill in oil and enhanced her sensibility painting over the course of 12 years, followed by an additional 3 years at an art high school.
In 2012, Yu participated in artist in residency in Pushkinskaya-10, Saint Petersburg, Russia. During her time there, she held a solo exhibition and achieved to be included in the event “Japanese Spring” supported by Japanese Consulate in Saint Petersburg. In 2015, She had a collective exhibition at the Museum of Non-Conformist Art, Saint Petersburg, included in the art festival “New Names” supported by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation.
Yu’s world explores human relationships and love, a dialogue with the universe and nature. Her paintings capture the grief over your loved one’s death, the joy of connection, and the deep emotions of agony and sorrow. Using free forms, strokes, and colors, her abstract style conveys these feelings vividly. The color Blue is prominent in her work, symbolizing harmony—a key element in both her art and her philosophy of human connection.
Artist Statement
I mostly paint “human relationships” and “human love”. I strive to create art that transcends the passage of time—something that remains constant even as the world changes. We live in an age where anything can be easily captured in a photograph, and when I reflect on the role of painting, I believe it allows me to visualize things that are invisible: relationships, love, and emotions.
While I have often painted human faces, I have recently begun experimenting with portraying these themes through bodies or parts of the body. I believe 'the spirit is connected to the body' and aim to convey this mental connection, which I see as love, by depicting a physical connection—not in a seductive way, but with purity.
A remark made to me in Russia still resonates: 'The naked bodies you paint don’t imply sexuality; they are pure.' This aligns with my artistic philosophy.
Through my paintings, I hope to be there for others. My goal is that those who view my work will also feel a connection to others, creating a flow of love that extends out into the world.
Phtographed by Igor Orlov
Phtographed by a Korean Photographer
Press
An article about Yu Kuramitsu is published on NIHONBASHIART.JP:
https://nihonbashiart.jp/interview/kuramitsu-yu/
Here is English translation:
Go Overseas for Engaging in Art.
"Yu Kuramitsu Creates Her Own Path and Paints Human Love."
Yu Kuramitsu draws “humans” and “love” with a unique shape showing both abstract and realism. Her color sense attracts viewers who look at her work from a far place.We interviewed her about a starting point for her art activity and what she wants to address through art.
A Formative Experience of Joy of Painting Abstract and An Ambition of Going Overseas
― How did you start painting?
I have been painting since my childhood, but when I was 10 years old, my friends asked me to take art classes at a private art school together. I had taken the classes for 12 years, and it was an important experience.
The policy of the art teacher was to paint freely instead of teaching the basics of art on a consistent basis. It was rare because most art classes focused on the basis such as sketching. There were no determined themes and motifs to paint: “create whatever you like” was pleasant for me.
I like to decide what to do by myself instead of somebody giving instructions. I believe the art classes developed my autonomy.
― Since childhood, you have been experiencing creation. Have you been engaging in only art?
I went to an art high school that had many art rooms and had a program to go to Italy to study art for 10 days, so the environment was fulfilling. I was blessed with friends who can engage in art together.
As I kept painting by oil and wanted to study other fields too, I majored in Liberal Arts at university. Specifically, I mainly studied linguistics and obtained English teacher’s licenses. I was instinctively thinking “I wanted to go to foreign countries for art.”. While studying at university, I participated in the art teacher’s exhibitions and made a design to paint on a big lantern to carry at a local festival.
Experiences in Russia that broadened my horizons”
― You wanted to paint in a foreign country. Did it come true?
Yes, I participated in an artist in residence which is a program that each county invites artists; the artists create artworks during the program and give a presentation and/or holds an exhibition at the end of the program. I stayed in Russia for 5 months after graduating from the university and had a solo exhibition. After returning to Japan, I went to Russia every year and had a collective exhibition.
― How did you feel after going to Russia?
I really got fond of Russia. If there were no pandemic of COVID and the current situation, I wanted to live there. Russian people seem to be good at expressing their feelings about artwork verbally even if they are not an artist because of the big continent and a multinational country. They gave me their thoughts about my work and made me realize a lot of things even though I was the author of the work.
For example, I had a solo exhibition in Russia with a theme related to the Japan East Earthquake and I was impressed that a viewer who saw the exhibition said “The theme itself is sad, but the works have me move forward”. In Japan, even if an artist is present at an exhibition, most people seem to savor quietly and digest rather than proactively talking to its artist and telling their thoughts, so it was a culture shock for me.
"Painting human relationships that lead to the world that chains love."
― What kind of theme do you paint?
I mostly paint “human relationships” and “human love”. I want to paint something that does not change even though an era changes. We live in an age where anything can be easily captured on a photograph, and when I came to think about the role of painting, what I can do is to visualize invisible things such as relationships and love.
Up to now I often painted human faces, but recently have been experimenting with expressing it by painting bodies or parts of bodies. I believe “the spirit is connected to the body” and try to paint a mental connection, which is love, by painting a physical connection, not too seductive. I was told in Russia “Naked bodies you paint don’t imply sexuality: it’s a pure painting”, which is one of my policies.
― Do you have any works that you are especially fond of?
The work is “The most beautiful moment in the life”. This is the one I painted when my mentality was at the breaking point at the time of a respected person’s death. I feel there are not so many paintings that an artist faced their feeling to a deceased person sincerely and expressed it on a painting. Rather than painting technically successful, I could express my emotions as they are on the canvas, so that’s why this artwork is special to me. When I succeeded in painting my emotions or other people’s emotions in that way, I feel this is “a good painting”.
― The thing that happened, which led you to paint the work, was sad, but the painting shows hope.
Paintings are “a way” to address something, so I believe viewers are the most important. Paintings cannot save human lives, but can address hope. Through my paintings, I want to be there for people, and people who view my paintings can also be there for other people; I hope this flow will bring the chain of love into the world.
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