Artists in Residence

In 2024, Thomas VanDyke Gallery began its artist-in-residence program and announced the first participants. The artists live and work on-premises, in the gallery’s back gallery and outdoor space, preparing new artwork for their upcoming exhibitions. There are 2 residencies per year (summer/winter), and artists are carefully selected through a process of communication, studio visits, exhibition proposal, and project intention. The summer residency is focused on sculptors who will be making work as a long-term additions to the sculpture garden. The winter residency is geared toward ambitious theme-based projects for exhibition in the gallery.

July, 2024 - Akari Yamashita

July 27th

A larger piece is nearing completion.
Hot water to remove the dust, stain it again, then remove the dust again, then put it on the panel and it's finished. I'm happy.
This is my first dye, so I'm pretty excited to see how solid the color will come out.
I thought I could make another one bigger on the schedule, so I chose one of the drawings and traced it to fabric again. The staining takes a long wait to dry, so I'm working on some small pieces at the same time, but I'm also exploring the local parks and buildings during this wait. Nice day for a walk.

July 23rd

Working on larger pieces, and experimenting with some new vibe ones. Witnessing about a years worth of art in the last couple of days
I'm quite inspired. Walking around town I feel like it's just right enough to dull all my senses.
It's been two weeks since I've been to America, and I've been on the subway, visited museums, walked around town to various places, but I felt that no matter where I felt that the distance between people and personal space was bigger than in Japan.
Of course there are crowded places, but I feel comfortable with everything, good or bad. Some of the prototypes that came out of the middle. Looks pretty loose compared to my usual work.

Akari Yamashita (b.1997) pursues the essence of human beings through images of skinless people. Through a technique known as "wax dyeing," Yamashita uses molten wax, meticulously applying it onto fabric, rendering sections impermeable to dye. From the residual imprints left by the layers of wax, "figures" are crafted, representing what she believes to be the most genuine depiction of "humans." Fueled by the undeniable truth of individual existence and her unwavering fixation on the essence of humanity, Yamashita persists in portraying the human condition. Drawing inspiration from interactions with various individuals, she explores the intricacies of human nature through depictions of "words", "actions", and "emotions" that she has encountered. As she contemplates the gaze of the observer upon her work, Yamashita recognizes the pivotal role of the "eye" in conveying the essence of humanity. The human eye possesses a gaze unique to our species, bearing a profound sense of individuality. Its transparency sets it apart as the sole window between the inner and outer realms of the body. Numerous tubes extend throughout the entirety of the forms, vessels through which myriad substances traverse within the bloodstream. Each form consistently radiates heat, akin to molten wax flowing over pristine white fabric, gradually building layer upon layer. Its contours materialize within the mind's eye, akin to the emergence of a human entity out of nothing, akin to the development of a human being within the womb.

Born in Osaka prefecture, Japan, Akari Yamashita lives and works in Hyogo. She has won several awards for her artwork, and has exhibited widely throughout Japan. She earned both her bachelors and masters degrees from Kyoto Seika University.

This artist-in-residence project is supported by the Business Super Japan Dream Foundation,(公益財団法人業務スーパージャパンドリーム財団) a Japanese company.

January, 2024 - Minami Yoshida & Takuya Yoshida

Takuya and Minami Yoshida were selected as the inaugural artists-in-residence, to use the gallery as their live-in studio space, making new paintings and sculpture for their upcoming concurrent solo exhibitions. Both are sculptors and painters, as well as being a married couple. They spend most of their time in Hokkaido, Japan, making artwork in their home studios, and running the Yoshida Art School.

Takuya and Minami’s exhibitions will open simultaneously, and this will mark the first time that artwork will be shown in the gallery’s outdoor garden space.