Art Therapy, Shades Of Blue & Mandalas: An Interview With Yuko Kyutoku
Yuko Kyutoku is a Japanese artist whose breathtaking work has appeared in exhibitions all over the world. Through vivid drawings and paintings that carry strong messages, she strives to bridge cultural gaps and exude hope for viewers everywhere!
Her artistry reflects her universe - hardships, dreams, suffering - creating an inspiring visual representation of life's intricacies. Each creation celebrates an understanding only art can bring: one we all share regardless of where we call home.
Yuko moved to New York seeking passion through creativity; it seems safe to say she definitely found what she was looking for! Join us as we explore her inspiring visual journey.
Yuko Kyutoku. SAH: Please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far?
My name is Yuko Kyutoku, and I am a Japanese contemporary artist and art therapist based in New York.
I hold a bachelor's degree in fine art from SUNY Purchase College and a master's degree in art therapy from New York University.
I’ve had many solo exhibitions, both in New York and Japan. I also work actively as an artist and have participated in both group shows and solo, duo, and three-person show last year and this year.
I had a group show, "Graphic Art Exhibition," with other contemporary artists who work internationally at Recto Verso Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, in 2017. I also had a duo show, "Peeking Through The Kaleidoscope," with Anya Zhang, who is also an artist, actress, and art therapist in New York, at Local Project Art Space in Queens, New York, in 2022, and we exhibited many artworks that expressed ideas of mental health and art therapy to raise awareness of mental health among the public.
I then also worked with other art therapists and had a two-person show, "Art as a Healing," and a three-person exhibition, "Wonders through Healing," at Local Project Art Space again this year, where we exhibited various artworks, including digital works, masks, paintings, drawings, and printmaking.
Since we focused on raising awareness of mental health and exhibiting art therapy-related artwork in the galleries, these duo and three-person exhibitions were new styles.
I also had the opportunity to do my first solo exhibition this year at Gallery Petite in Brooklyn, New York, and I displayed several blue paintings in the gallery space. I also received a Juror Choice Award from the SUNY Purchase Representative in 2015.
I am currently working at a children’s hospital in New York City, as well as creating artwork for upcoming shows in Japan and New York.
Yuko Kyutoku. The Blue NY Botanical Garden.
Yuko Kyutoku. The Blue NY Botanical Garden. Mixed media on silkscreen.SAH: Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get inspiration from my hobbies and daily life. I enjoy and am influenced by various art forms including visual art, theatre, poetry, music, literature, movies, galleries, museums, and cooking. I also draw inspiration from the people I need and encounter in my life.
My themes for art are mundane themes that I find meaningful, beautiful, and inspirational. For instance, I sometimes create portraits of people who have made a good impact on my life.
SAH: Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art reflects and represents where I am in my life. Each artwork shows the interests, hobbies, feelings, and experiences that I’ve had at each moment or stage of my life. It is like a visual record of my life in a large stack of papers and canvases.
I also create artwork while I listen to songs, and I sometimes include some lyrics from these songs in my art.
You can see some writing in some of my paintings that I got from my favourite songs.
Out of all colours, I enjoy using shades of blue the most. Some people believe blue is associated with sad news or negative, depressive feelings; however, that’s not the way the colour speaks to me. Instead, I associate it with happiness and hope and find that for me it evokes comfort.
During my senior year at SUNY Purchase, I started exploring different shades of the colour blue, such as greenish blue, purplish blue, and some traditional Japanese blue colours, which you can find in Japanese ukiyo-e paintings.
SAH: What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on several art projects at the same time. One of them involves the use of masks, for which I borrow ideas from my art therapy practice. I am working seriously on a mask that represents different kinds of feelings, emotions, and stories.
Another project I have been working on is mandala paintings. For this project as well I am drawing inspiration from my art therapy practice. We often use mandalas and/or circles and draw pictures outside and inside the mandala to process some feelings and/or contain unresolved emotions.
I have been creating several mandalas on wood panels. I plan to exhibit both projects for my solo show that I hope to have this year and next year in Japan and New York.
Yuko Kyutoku. The Blue NY Botanical Garden. Mixed media on paper. SAH: What kind of impact do you hope that your work has?
I have had so many experiences of encountering great artwork in my life.
For instance, I visited many galleries and museums in Europe and South America over the past few years. Looking back, so many artworks spoke to me and encouraged me to keep moving forward. These artworks made me realize the importance of expressing myself in my own work, as I could see how these artworks always represented the artist's strong personality, life, beliefs, hopes, and values, while at the same time conveying beautiful ideas.
For instance, Van Gogh’s "Starry Night" is one of my favorite paintings of all time. To me, the artist depicted the mundane theme of a starry night and depicted it beautifully, making the ordinary subject something extraordinary.
Every time I see the painting, it evokes many feelings, such as romance, nostalgia, something even spiritual, and appreciation for everyday life. I hope to create something beautiful and meaningful for the viewers that makes their hearts warm and similarly inspires them.
SAH: Do you remember the earliest memory of when you wanted to do what you do today?
I am from a doctor's family who appreciates art so much. My father used to take me to art lessons because he thought it would be great for me to socialize with others, have fun, and express myself through visuals. Every time I made some art, he was proud of me.
He would display my paintings on the walls of the house, and his pride in me made me proud of myself. For me, it is very natural to pursue the visual arts as one of my career goals in life.
Yuko Kyutoku. BlueCafe. Mixed media on paper. 
Yuko Kyutoku. The Blue NY Metropolitan Museum.Paints, pens on silkscreen. SAH: You moved from Japan to New York; how did that influence your work?
I would say my artistic style is more about who I am than my cultural background. I agree that my art is very graphic, and you can find similarities in Japanese ukiyo-e paintings.
Also, I enjoy using Japanese traditional colours for my paintings because it makes my painting special and puts more meaning to them since it represents my heritage. However, the things I depict in my work are more about New York scenes, such as the New York Metropolitan Museum of art.
My work always represents who I am at that stage of my life, what I am interested in, and what I did during the moments, and I let my artwork reflect these events. If I did not live in New York, it would be another city that inspired me, thus every moment in New York is a precious opportunity for me to express my daily New York life in my art.
SAH: Who are your biggest influences? Is there a particular artist that inspired you to pursue art?
I have so many artists I got influenced by, but there are some artists whom I admire and appreciate all the time.
They are Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Charlotte Salomon, and Marc Chagall.
In my opinion, they express their personal stories, feelings, and emotions, as well as events, in their art, and it makes the art more personal and stronger. I feel like I resonate with their hardships, hope, and values often.
SAH: How do you seek out opportunities?
I am always willing to meet new people and I also cherish the connections I already have. I am so fortunate to meet great artists who work on different kinds of mediums and themes, and they always inspire me and support me. I have great artist connections and a great artistic community, which I appreciate most.
They sometimes ask me to show my art in their studios or let me know about new opportunities. As an artist, it is important to be involved in the artist community, keep in touch, and support others.
SAH: Where can people purchase your work?
People can reach out to me via email. They can also visit my show and talk to me.
I also plan to open an online platform where people can see more art and possibly purchase it this year, so please stay tuned.
SAH: What advice would you give somebody who has just started their artistic career?
I would say, "Enjoy your journey as an artist."
Also, mastering foundations such as drawing and painting are important. If you have a strong foundation in the visual arts, you can build on your skills and make more advanced work any way you want. It comes so much easier. Hard work always pays off, and I spent so many years gaining skills and experiences that I’ll never regret.
More information:
🌐 Artist Website: yukokyutoku.com
🌐 Yuko Kyutoku on Instagram