Everyday Phenomena: Yukako Ando’s Los Angeles Episode
By Lisette Xue
Yukako Ando is a Japanese visual artist based in Düsseldorf, Germany, whose work focuses on everyday phenomena and fundamental questions that emanate from the experiences of daily life. She is in residence at 18th Street Arts Center through the end of September, with an exhibition of her work on view through October 3. “This residency program is important to me,” says Ando, who was introduced to the program by her friend Michiko Yao, a former visiting artist in residence at 18th Street. “I would like to take this opportunity to connect to the local art community, and to learn about the work and lifestyles of local artists and how they see my work.” To help foster these connections, there will be a reception for Ando’s exhibition “PRIORITY REQUIRED”, along with shows by Tsai Shih-Hung and Miljohn Ruperto with Aimée de Jongh, at 18th Street on September 6.
Ando graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Kyoto Seika University, Japan, in 1994, and received her MA from Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 2001. She has won numerous international scholarships and prizes. Most notably, she is a recent recipient of the Program for Arts Fellowship administered by the Japanese Department of Cultural Affairs, which also provided the funds to enable her three-month residency at 18th Street. The residency has supported artists for 25 years by not only offering them the time and space to hone their craft, but by providing them a community and a platform to create new art works and to connect with other artists.
