Portfolio & Bio

Artist Biography (English)

 Akiko Tanimoto's works are based on the concept of "Breath-n-Brush," expressing the breath of the body on Japanese paper using "sumi" ink and a brush.

Akiko realized the importance of understanding traditional culture through her experience as a language teacher teaching Japanese language and culture to foreign businessperson.

One day, she happened to come across an art book by Tohun Kobayashi, which attracted her to sumi-e.

She started to paint a wide range of sumi-e works under his guidance in 2002, and when she met yoga at Sun & Moon YOGA (Studio in Tokyo), she sublimated her work into a collaborative expression of sumi-e and yoga.

After seeing Akiko's work, Leza Lowitz, a yoga instructor and founder of Sun & Moon YOGA, asked Akiko to illustrate his poetry collection “Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections” (2010) for publication. This led to her debut as an artist.

The publication of "Yoga Heart (2010)" encouraged people to want to see more of Akiko's work, and in February 2013, her first solo exhibition "Breath-n-Brush" was held at PARADA in Kichijoji, Tokyo. Since then, She has held solo exhibitions in New York, Ginza, Nasu, and other cities.

Akiko's expression is to capture the beautiful moment that life reveals through the body. This is a means of sharing with others the moment when Akiko's own heart is moved. The simple but powerful trajectory of the ink and brush, which resonates with the breath of the subject of the work and her own breath, stimulates the imagination of the viewer. The gracefulness of the "sumi" ink, which cannot be re-drawn, is also comforting.

Furthermore, she has added the traditional cultural techniques of mounting and designing, which she learned from Kakoh Imagawa in 2012, to the expression of her work. This has provided a means to expand the range of design and deepen originality and creativity.

These works show that the mounting is not a complement to the ink painting, but rather a co-starring role.

In recent years, Akiko has begun to promote the appeal of sumi-e through workshops and other activities.

アーティストバイオグラフィー　

Akiko Tanimotoの作品はBreath-n-Brushをコンセプトに“墨”と“筆”を用いた身体の息遣いを和紙の上に表現する．

Akikoは外国人ビジネスマンに日本語と日本の生活文化を伝える語学教師の経験をとおして自らも伝統文化を理解する大切さに気づいた．

あるとき偶然手にした小林東雲氏の画集から墨絵に惹かれ2002年より同氏に師事して墨絵作品を幅広く描き始めた．

そして,彼女がSun & Moon YOGA（Studio in Tokyo）でヨガと出会ったことをきっかけに墨絵とヨガのコラボレーション表現へと昇華させた．

この作品を見たSun & Moon YOGAの主宰者でありヨガ・インストラクターでもある作家Leza Lowitzは自身の詩集「Yoga Heart（2010年）」を出版するにあたりAkikoに挿し絵を依頼した．これがAkikoのアーティストデビューに繋がった．

「Yoga Heart（2010年）」出版が後押しとなって、Akikoの作品をもっと見たいという声がひろがり2013年2月に初の個展「Breath–n- Brush」を吉祥寺「PARADA」で開催．その後ニューヨーク、銀座、那須などで個展を開催した．

生命が身体を通してあらわす美しい一瞬を切りとる表現．の対象の息遣いとAkikoの息遣いが共鳴したシンプルだが力強い“墨”と“筆”の描く軌跡は、見る者の想像力を刺激する。描きなおしのきかない“墨”の潔さが心地よさも感じさせる．

さらに彼女は今川佳香氏のもとで2012年より身につけた伝統文化としての表装技術とデザインを作品表現に加えた。このことで意匠の幅を拡げオリジナリティとクリエイティブを深める手段となった．

これらの作品は表装が墨絵の引立て役ではなく共演するものであることを伝えてくれる．