Harrogate gallery celebrates successful return to live exhibitions with exquisite work by Yukako Sakakura

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Showing at 108 Fine Art at 16 Cold Bath Road in Harrogate until the end of this week, Yukako Sakakura – Singing In Your Woods includes 12 works recently completed by the artist in her remote hill side studio, near Tokyo.

The exquisite paintings harmonise many of the shapes and colours that Yukako has been using over the years resulting in a series of the most beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated pieces of art that Yukako, who has a close relationship with 108 Fine Art since she first graduated from the Glasgow School of Art, has produced to date.

For the exhibition's launch night - 108 Fine Art's first exhibition opening since the start of Covid lockdowns - Yukako collaborated with luxury perfume company called Clive Christian.

The event at the gallery saw the brand giving a brief talk about the inspiration behind the collection by Tori Snowball of Clive Christian Perfumes who outlinined the history and background to the ‘Matsukita’ perfume.

A spokesperson for 108 Fine Art said: " We've been delighted to work with Clive Christian Perfumes to bring Yukako Sakakura’s series of new paintings to Harrogate.

"In 2020 Yukako Sakakura was approached by Clive Christian to create a painting interpreting their latest perfume ‘Matsukita’, which are on exhibition at the gallery."

Yukako Sakakura graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2008. Her captivating drawings and videos were shown in Harrogate later that year.

Now working from her studio near Tokyo, her delicate paintings and drawings combine both abstract and figurative elements, creating a beautiful, curious and intimate sense of time and place.

Her first solo exhibition was held at 108 Fine Art in March 2011.

Yukako’s 2012 Harrogate exhibition was reviewed well by Jackie Wullschlager in the Financial Times ‘Critics Choice’, and has featured in Vogue and BBC ‘In Pictures’

Of her current exhibition, artist Yukako Sakakura said: "This collaboration project invigorated my painting practice, especially how I visualize the scenery in my mind.

Using my imagination to embody the landscape as I experienced the scent was a challenging but fun process.

"The first inspiration I drew from the scent of the perfume was like unlocking the door to a world of exploration."

Yukako Sakakura – Singing In Your Woods is showing at 108 Fine Art at 16 Cold Bath Road in Harrogate until Friday, April 8.

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