Noriko Yamamoto

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Noriko Yamamoto: The Peace Paintings

Curated by Dan Mills

Organized by the Samek Gallery

August 25 – October 8, 2008

Noriko Yamamoto has merged Abstract Expressionism with calligraphy to form her own color-saturated and gestural painting style since the 1950s. For this ongoing series, begun in 2003, she introduces two new elements to her work: white over-painting and blocking out of colorful painting passages — especially her signature use of deep blue and bright red — and the occasional introduction of the word “Peace.”

Yamomoto (born 1929, Tsing Tao, China) and her family moved to Tokyo shortly after she was born, then to Honolulu (1935–41), then back to Tokyo. She was trained in calligraphy by her father, and began oil painting in Honolulu. She received a BFA and MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1952–57 (studied with Richard Diebenkorn and Nathan Oliveira), and continued her studies at Mills College (with AFRO). She has had numerous solo exhibitions in New York, California and Tokyo since the mid-fifties. Her work is often included in group exhibitions of Japanese and Asian-American artists.