Profile
Reiko Aoyagi was born in Chiba, Japan and currently lives and works in London. She graduated from Ibaraki University in Japan and completed MA Fine Art at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff in UK.
Over the years Reiko has been interested in exploring light as a transformative force. She is particularly interested in looking at this aspect in human relationships amongst culturally and individually different people. She is also interested in examining light as a phenomenon within our human condition that includes experiences of life and death.
Reiko’s earlier works were site specific in nature, using architectural spaces or places as ‘living’ materials and transforming them with various media, including natural light and artificial light. Creating a more fluid space in this way she tried to find possible dialogues between herself and different people and places.
In Reiko’s recent works she has taken up macro photography and video of natural objects and often used their negative images in the form of light boxes. These images with light expand the space and time of our consciousness, the micro world being transformed into the macro world. Through these installation works she has explored space and time filled with a flow of light, as fundamental energy for people to experience.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
1993-
1992-
1971-
Solo Exhibitions
2018 Light within the Veins of Consciousness, Toki Art Space, Tokyo, Japan
2014 Afterimage, Toki Art Space, Tokyo, Japan
2004 As it is, Toki Art Space, Tokyo, Japan
2003 Transparent, (Photographic exhibition), Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin, Wales, UK
2002 Transparent lll, (Installation & photographic exhibition), Bleddfa Centre for Arts, Knighton, Powys, Wales, UK
2001 Transparent ll, (Installation), Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales, UK
1999 Reiko Aoyagi, Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
1998 Reiko Aoyagi, Gallery 97-
1996 Inscape Wales, Oriel, Cardiff, Wales, UK
1994 Untitled, The Artists Project Studio, Cardiff, Wales, UK
1991 Earth, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1990 Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1989 Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1988 Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1986 Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1983 Reiko Aoyagi, Gallery Q, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023- Lasuemo Projects including Calendar and Sonic Trilogy
2022 Camel Library Project, Womanifesto, (A book project for children in Pakistan organized by Nilofar Akmut)
2021 Womanifesto 2020 Gatherings, (Collaboration with Nilofar Akmut, Liliana Constantin, Stefano Boring and Anca Dimofte),
Art Museum of Guangzhou Acadamy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China
2020 When the Globe is Home, Gallerie delle Prigioni, Treviso, Italy
2018 Join the Dots, Salone Degli Incanti, Italy
2008 Kyobashi 3-
2007 Reshaping Space, Cazenovia College Art Gallery, NY State, USA
2006 Coordinates, Harlech Art Biennale, AirSpace Gallery,
Stoke-
2006 Illuminations, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, NY State, USA
2005 Reiko Aoyagi / Philippa Lawrence, House of Art, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
2005 Transparent lV, Howard Gardens Gallery, Cardiff, Wales, UK
2004 Tickety-
2001 Glow, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
1999 Screen, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, UK
1999 Ten year Anniversary Show, Ai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1998 Out of Place, Chapter, Cardiff, Wales, UK
1998
Llath-
1997 Borders, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, UK
1996 Trans-
1995 MA Show, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales, UK
1994 Inter-
1994 Site-
1991
Japan-
1990 Art Beyond the Limits ’90, Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
1990
Japan-
1989 Art Beyond the Limits ’89, Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
1982 Shinseiki Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Workshop and Residencies
2024- Natural Objects Cafe, Online Workshop, Japan
2009 Art Colony Galichnik, Galichnik, Macedonia
2007 Flow, Chapter Theatre, Cardiff, Wales, UK
2006 Illuminations, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, NY State, USA
2005 Coordinates, Harlech Biennale, Harlech, Wales, UK
2004 Identidades, Encuendro Internacional de Artistas Independientes, Morelia, Mexico
2001 Cyfuniad International Artist’s Workshop, Plas Caerdeon, Barmouth, Wales, UK
1996 Between the Visible and Invisible, National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan
Public Art Commission
2008 Untitled, Dumballs Road Ipad Development, Cardiff, Wales, UK
2007 Beginning, Museum of Lost Heritage, Window, Birmingham, UK
2006 Flow, The Former Science Museum, Birmingham, UK
Curatorial Work
2001-
Awards
2006 Wales Arts International International Opportunities Fund
2004 Wales Arts International Project Award
2000 Arts Council of Wales Travel Award
1996-
1996 Arts Council of Wales Travel Award
Selected Articles, Reviews and Publications
2018 Join the Dots (catalogue), Imago Mundi, Italy
2007 Salvage Documentation Transformation, (catalogue), Museum of Lost Heritage, Birmingham, UK
2006 Sharma, Aparna, ‘Transparent lV’(review), Cyfrwng, Media Wales
Journal, Vol.3, 2006, pp. 127-
2005 Skoda, Michal, Reiko Aoyagi/Philippa Lawrence (catalogue), House of Arts, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
2005 ‘Umelkyne z Walesu’, art & antiques, November 2005
2004 Montejano, Yolanda, ‘Concluye Muestra Internacional de Arte’, Provincia, 2 February 2004, p.12
2004 Aguilar, Claudia, ‘Identidades’, Cambio de Michoacan, 31 January 2004, p.26
2004 Montejano, Yolanda, ‘Identidad’, Provincia, 14 January 2004, p.10
2003 Crossingham, Cristina, ‘Identity in Place?’, Reiko Aoyagi
(catalogue), Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, UK, pp.5-
2003 Adams, Hugh, Imaging Wales, Seren and Wales Arts International, Cardiff, p.34
2001 Clark, Robert, ‘Reiko Aoyagi’, The Guardian, 16 June 2001, p.32
2001 Crossingham, Cristina, ‘Identity in Place?’ (gallery guide), Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales, UK
2000 Aoyagi, Reiko, ‘Voxpop’, Make, Issue 87
March-
1998 Gupta, Sunil, ‘Inside/Outside: Surrounded by Four Women’, Out of
Place (catalogue), Chapter, Cardiff, pp.6-
1996 Akmut, Nilofar, (editor), Between the Visible and the Invisible (catalogue), National College of Arts Lahore, Pakistan
1996 Stathatos, John (guest editor), ’Art & the City’, Art & Design, Issue 50, p.87
1996 Crossingham, Cristina, ‘Reiko Aoyagi’ (review), Untitled, No.10, Spring 1996, p.18
1996 Butler, Susan, ‘Window/Wall’, Inscape Wales 4,(catalogue), Oriel,
Cardiff, pp.4-
1991 Contemporary Paintings ’91 (catalogue), Gallery Sanyo, Tokyo, Japan
1990 Art Beyond the Limits ’90 (catalogue), Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
1990 Contemporary Paintings ’90 (catalogue), Kwan Hoon Gallery, Seoul, Korea
1989 Art Beyond the Limits ’89(catalogue), Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
1989 Ai Gallery
1986-