Yuki Yamamoto -Duality-

Artist Statement

When we get too accustomed to things, we tend to lose something precious without realizing it. We even forget we became accustomed to those things in the first place. I began to realize this obvious fact as I continued to work on my paintings . This realization came about when the outcome suddenly became bland and boring when I became too obsessed with the rules or habits of my drawing style that I created myself.

Hence, in order to not blindly submit to even my own patterns or style , the question of how I can update my work into something unknown, “random,” and “spot-on,” without allowing total disorder, became an interesting theme for me in my artistic endeavors.

For a long time, I’ve been creating pieces by interlacing transparent layers with circles. I draw circles, draw circular voids, mix the non-transparent with the transparent, place the same circles in different transparent layers, paint them to be non-transparent to make them look transparent , change the thickness of the transparent layers, adjust the light reflection on the surface, etc. Through such process, new factors are gradually introduced into the piece, causing an unexpected effect on shapes, colors, and space while maintaining simplicity, and ultimately transforming the content of the piece.

After following this process and once my drawing system became established to a certain point, I then collaborated with a programmer to develop an application solely for myself that can recreate my drawing system. With this custom app (Random Circle Drawing System, RCDS), I can automatically generate the underdrawing randomly, just by entering figures of the screen size, the number of circles, the number of layers, the range of colors, and the percentage of the occurrence of circles of each different attribute, etc. What motivated me to develop this app was the desire to further pursue my intentions of the positioning of circles, and to explore ways that are more loyal to the system, because I felt that my drawing system was controlling me more than necessary. As a result, I was able to obtain an unexpected positioning of circles and color, more than I aimed for.

Now, you might think that if I can generate pieces all I want just by entering figures, then I’ll have nothing else to do. But that wasn’t the case. There can be any amount of variance when converting the digital compositional sketch into an actual piece. Plus, even regarding the operation of the app, I gradually start to understand the figures or methods that are likely to create interesting pieces. What happens next is that if I start depending on methods I’ve become accustomed to, then the pieces will instantly become bland and boring as expected.
Apps, brushes, and paint are all tools. It’s important to be conscious of always using these tools in unexpected ways. The works for this exhibition were born from such awareness.

In recent years, I’ve had the honor of interacting with experts in the fields of mathematics and quantum mechanics. I’m not yet certain if the influences I’ve received from those precious opportunities are directly reflected in my works but am pursuing the possibilities that the world of concept, and the behavior and the line of thinking in the miniscule world will, in some way, resonate with and bring new discoveries to my works.
The exhibition title, “Duality,” is a word I became interested in upon learning that it’s also a term used in the quantum mechanics’ field. The superposition of circles and voids, transparent and non-transparent, myself and the computer. The title, “Duality” symbolizes these dualities and the correlation between the factors that create these dualities.