Biography
Usio
B.1978 in Yamagata, Japan. Lives and works in Japan.
After studying oil painting and concrete sculpture at the University of Tsukuba, she earned a MFA in Plastic Art and Mixed Media. After finishing her master's course there, she worked for a private company for several years and then restarted her career as an artist at the end of 2012.
Usio's artwork uses various media to visualize situations that just don't turn out the way we picture. She frequently uses tools, settings, rules, words, and images related to games, and reconstructs the settings of the world around us through video, installations, and workshops. Especially her masterpiece, "Black or White? Board Game Series Never to be Settled." has succeeded in providing new stimulus to our vision and thoughts by using Chess, Igo and Othello.
Usio's recent solo exhibitions include: "Nakaki yo no Too no nefuri no Mina mesame Naminori fune no Oto no yoki kana", gallery N Kanda Shataku, Tokyo, Japan (2018); "Restart over and over The Point of Despair", Gallery Barco, Tokyo, Japan (2017); "Where Are You?", HIGURE 17-15 cas, Tokyo, Japan (2016), etc. and her work has been included in group exhibitions such as: "Imagined Boundaries: Contemporary Art in Obu", Obu Culture Communication Library, Aichi, Japan (2020); "Absorption/Radiation", Around Tokorozawa City, Saitama, Japan (2019); "TERATOTERA Festival 2019: Barriers to Freedom of Choice", Around Mitaka Station, Tokyo, Japan (2019);"Now, it's Time to Play", Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (2019), etc.
Her works are in the collections of Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art.
Curriculum Vitae
Usio
Born in Yamagata Japan, 1978
Live and work in Okinawa, Japan
Education:
2003
MFA in Plastic Art and Mixed Media, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
2001
BFA in Carving and Modeling, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Solo Exhibitions:
2020
Black or White? Board Game Series Never to be Settled., Chez Pierre, Yamagata, Japan
2018
Nakaki yo no Too no Nefuri no Mina mesame Nami nori Fune no Oto no Yoki Kana, gallery N "Kanda Shataku", Tokyo, Japan
2017
Restart over and over The Point of Despair, Gallery Barco, Tokyo, Japan
2016
Where Are You?, HIGURE 17-15 cas, Tokyo, Japan
2014
Continue? Yes., HIGURE 17-15 cas, Tokyo, Japan
2013
Enjoy, Gallery Two-Plus, Tokyo, Japan
2012
Because It's There., ARAKAWA 1-1-1 Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2021
From the Museum Collection 2020: Fourth Period, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Aichi, Japan
Imagined Boundaries: Contemporary Art in Obu, Obu Culture Communication Library “allobu”, Aichi, Japan
2019
Distance and Conveyance, gallery N, Aichi, Japan
Now, it's Time to Play, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Absorption/Radiation, Around Tokorozawa City, Saitama, Japan
TERATOTERA Festival 2019: Barriers to Freedom of Choice, Around Mitaka Station, Tokyo, Japan
2018
ART NEXT NO.3: When the Opaque Medium Becomes Transparent, Denkibunka Hall, Aichi, Japan
From Here 2: 8 Days to Think About Disability, Sensation, and Symbiosis, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2017
Railroad Siding 2017, Former Tokorozawa School Lunch Center Number 2, Saitama,Japan
2014
Open call for Art Project Ideas 2014 Exhibition, Hiroshima MOCA, Hiroshima, Japan
2013
3331 Chiyoda Arts Festival 2013, Video Arts division, 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
ARAKAWA Artist File, ARAKAWA 1-1-1 Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Public Collection:
- Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Aichi, Japan
Publications:
- TERATOTERA DOCUMENT 2019. text by Shoichiro Iwao. Tokyo: Arts Council Tokyo, Mar. 2020
- BIJUTSUTECHO. text by Kazuho Soeda. Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha Co.,Ltd., Aug. 2020
- Distance and Conveyance. Tomohito Ishii, Usio, Takayoshi Tsuchiya, Hajime Mizutani, Jan.2020
- Continuing to play. text by Takuya Nakao, Hikari Odaka, Masashi Ogura. Usio, Dec.2019
- Railroad Siding 2017. Saitama: Committee of Hikikomisen 2017, Jan. 2018