Yamashita lebt und arbeitet in New York, ihre Werke sind aber definitiv japanisch geprägt, sagt die Künstlerin. Die japanisch reduzierte Ästhetik der Dinge auf ihre Essenz, wie man sie auch in Haiku, Ikebana oder Zen Garten findet, kombiniert mit der bewanderten Handwerkskunst bildet die Basis ihrer Arbeit.
Auf die Frage, wieso Yamashita oft mit Licht und Schatten arbeite, antwortete sie:
"Mainly because I love looking at light and shadow. I remember sitting on the patio of my family home in the late autumn afternoon. the sun was setting and was casting the shadow of swaying branches of our fragrant olive tree on the ground. the color of the light was gradually changing from warm orange to cool blue as the shadow of the tree stretched and faded away. in my young mind I questioned the permanence and ephemera of all living things as the tree stood soundly in front of me in the almost monochromatic landscape. for me, shadows came to symbolize another dimension of life, perhaps something even more real than its holder." - by designboom.com
VEIL, 2013
Light, fabric, shadow
Temporary installation at Villa Olmo,
Como Italy
AKARI 2009
Sculpted wood
single light source, shadow
Perfe Takiyama Maternity Clinic
Tokyo, Japan
FRAGMENTS 2009
Cast resin
single light source, shadow
Permanent Collection of New Mexico History Museum
Santa Fe USA
CLOUDS 2005
Cut aluminum plate
single light source, shadow
Commissioned by Stellar Place Sapporo JR Tower
Hokkaido, Japan
FRAGMENTS 2009
Cast resin
single light source, shadow
Permanent Collection of New Mexico History Museum
Santa Fe USA
QUESTION MARK 2003
Stainless steel
single light source, shadow
Commissioned by Namba Parks Tower
Osaka Japan