About Artist

Yao Mikami

Led by nature to walk a bridge between worlds, my practice explores indigenous East and West, conscious and subconscious, the visible and invisible.

Inspired by the tradition of Japanese indigenous Shintoism, I work with the spirit in all things. Using the natural pigments of my ancestral and adopted homes, my relationship with the world around me guides my brush to create images that brings the mystical into the material. We are not to be separated from nature.

Working from a meditative or dream state, my work depicts relationships that exist beyond what can be easily spoken about, in the hope that we can have a deeper conversation with more than words.

私は、日本の先住民信仰である神道の伝統に影響を受け、すべてのものに霊が宿ると信じている。私は絵画制作を通して、先住民東洋と西洋、意識と無意識、見える世界と見えない世界が交差するところを探究している。天然絵具を使うことで、自然と繋がり。描くことで霊的なもの、抽象的なものを物質的な世界にもたらすイメージを創り出している。言葉では表現できない世界観を筆を通して描きだしていく。

Yao Mikami was born in Gifu, Japan. Currently residing in Byron Bay, Australia. She studied at the Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design. And in Minerva Art Academy in Groningen, Netherlands for a 6-month exchange program. Yao worked at the gallery Intro Art for 3 years in Nagoya City in Japan as a gallery assistant. In 2012 she moved to Australia to start a retreat center. She is one of the founders and project manager of the Art in Paradise organization which runs a residential art retreat at Byron Hinterland retreat center in NSW. She managed to host 15 art retreats from 2014 – 2020. Organizing art retreats and bringing international artists who came to teach at her retreat leads to learning more about materials, not only techniques. She learned how to paint in oil and egg tempera, how to make painting mediums and my own painting from pigments. It leads to research on natural pigment extraction by self and Japanese painting pigments. Using natural pigment inspired her to be in touch with nature. Her paintings evolve with exploration of mixing painting techniques and materials between east and west.

Exhibition

2023     Group Exhibition – “Journey Through Visions” Gallery Cosmosis, Byron Bay NSW Australia 

2023     Duo Exhibition – “The power of art ” Eltham Village Gallery, Eltham NSW Australia 

2022     Solo Exhibition – “Color of soil” Gallery Ze , Gifu Japan 

2022     Solo Exhibition – “Color of soil” Art space Todohyo, Toyooka Japan

2022     Solo Exhibition – “Color of soil” Gallery Cafe Taiyou, Aichi Japan

2022     Solo Exhibition – “Color of soil” Gallery cafe Tutty,  Shizuoka Japan

2022     Solo Exhibition – “Color of soil” Indigo studio Inbetween Blues, Tokushima Japan

2022     Solo Exhibition –  “Story of Vision” Gallery Cosmosis, Byron Bay NSW Australia 

2022     Group Exhibition – Island vibe gallery Brisbane QLD Australia

2022     Group Exhibition – “Why not” Art Nou Millenni gallery, Barcelona Spain

2019     Group Exhibition – Evolve gallery , Melborune VIC Australia

2019     Group Exhibition  – “Horror Vacui ”,Lupine art gallery Melborune VIC Australia

2019     Group exhibition – Island Vibe gallery – Brisbane QLD Australia

2018     Group exhibition – Harmonic Space , Byron Bay community center NSW Australia

2018     Group Exhibition  – “Evolving Woman” Arvy’s Gallery , Melborune VIC Australia

2018     Group Exhibition – “Saving Wolf” Gallery Meguro, Tokyo Japan

2017     Group Exhibition  – “Harmonic Temple” Byron Bay community center NSW Australia                                                                                                                                        

2016     Group Exhibition –  Luminarium Art Gallery , Brisbane QLD Australia

2011     Solo Exhibition –  Intro art gallery , Nagoya Japan

Awards / Grants

2020 – Finalist “Dean Cogle Portrait Prize 2020” Dust Temple Gold coast QLD Australia

Teaching 

2021 – Teach at Yao art studio 

2022 – Teach at Byron community College

Involvement of Art Project

2019 -Current      Liquidelic ( Visual performance group) https://www.liquidelic.art/epk

Performed at – Lismore regional gallery(Lismore)/ byron Theatre(ByronBay)/

Nimbin bush theater(Nimbin)/ HOTA (goldcoast)/ Power house (Brisbane)/

Good space (Sydney) / Sacred Garden (Byron Bay) / Drive Through(Byron Bay)

 Smoken mirror (Byron Bay) 

2022 -Current      Elles D fogg (Visual lighting, liquid light show art performance project) http://fogg.com.au/

Performa at – Bluesfest 2022(ByronBay)/

Cream tribute show in baroque theater (katoomba Sydney)/

 Nimbin root festival (Nimbin)

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