CRS invites you to an Opening Reception on July 7, 2018 from 5 – 7 pm for the exhibition Love Planet —  sending love of the plants all over the world through photography, by photographer yukko＊. There will be live music by the artist. The exhibition will open Saturday, July 7, 2018 and will remain on view through August 30, 2018.

Exhibition Concept

‘Love Planet Project’ was created by photographer yukko＊ to share love of plants all over the world through photography.

The aim of this project is for the plants in yukko＊’s photo postcards to be delivered all over the world by those who join this project by ‘pay-it-forwarding’.

In this show the original prints of the postcards and posters of the 16 selected photos used for the project postcards as well as the actual postcards themselves will be displayed.

 All her photos were taken with a film camera, and none of them have been re-touched by the computer.

Artist Statement

Plants have always seemed to be very close to me since I was a child.  Without recognizing it, I started taking photos and naturally I became a photographer specializing in pictures of plants. Gradually I noticed that I always felt the affection and graciousness of the plants while taking photos, and started to want to try to transform the plants’ energy of love into light through photography. At the same time I started to talk to the plants when taking photos saying, “Please let me deliver your love to those who need it.”

Having seen visitors to my photo exhibition shed tears while looking at my photos, it became certain to me that the wave of love of plants can be passed on to us human beings, and I decided to deliver the love of plants all over the world through photography.  As a start, I have launched this ‘Love Planet Project’ in New York through this photo exhibition at CRS.

Bio

yukko＊ was born and raised in Sapporo, Japan. She became interested in different cultures when she saw a lot of foreign guests at the winter Olympic games in her hometown when she was a child. She kept this interest in the world and became an English translator at the local government after she studied at Kings College, London. During her career as a translator she came to understand the cultural diversity as well as re-recognizing the spiritual nature of Japanese people.

Being transferred to the suburb to work as a staff in charge of tourism she started to take photographs as a part of her work. It did not take long for her to be absorbed in photography and she came to recognize that photos reflect what the photographer sees and feels.

She experienced depression during her next career in the government and decided to quit, and started her new career as a photographer in Osaka.

Now she holds photo exhibitions in various places in Japan as well as photo classes and portrait shooting.  She also works as a personal fashion-consultant and also as a singer.  She is an integrated artist supporting people to live honest to their nature.