SHUMOKU GALLERY is pleased to present a solo exhibition of Kuniaki Yamamura (b.1942).

Kuniaki Yamamura graduated from the Aichi Prefectural Asahigaoka High School Art Department in 1960, and later from Musashino Art University in 1966. While studying oil painting under Taro Yamaguchi, Yoshio Mori, and Saburo Aso, he also frequented the studio of Masuo Ikeda, interacting with a wide range of artists. He was deeply influenced by American contemporary artists visiting Japan through Nan Gallery, which led him to develop a highly original style that blended vivid colors with Eastern elements. In the 1960s, his work attracted significant attention from many art critics.

Since then, Yamamura has continued his practice independently, without affiliation to any art group. From the late 1970s, he began creating paintings based on a single, key-like form, which he has repeated daily in his work ever since. Throughout his career, he has maintained a consistent method: drawing freely without preliminary sketches, using fine brushes to connect shapes, and sometimes taking several years to complete a work by layering colors multiple times. This meticulous and prolonged process results in a distinctive visual effect unlike any other.

This exhibition marks his third solo presentation at SHUMOKU GALLERY. In addition to new paintings that emphasize their pictorial appeal by incorporating three-dimensional elements into the support structure, the show will feature Yamamura’s first-ever edition works using copperplate etching.

We invite you to experience the bold and ever-evolving world of Kunisho Yamamura’s art, now over 50 years in the making.