Artist Kumi Yamashita has the distinct talent of taking the familiar human form and presenting it in some unexpected ways. A significant portion of her work consists of “shadow art”. Though seeming to randomly pepper the walls of her exhibits, Yamashita very carefully places everyday objects such as sheets of paper or toy blocks. A well placed light source then reveals Yamashita’s hard work – a shadow in the convincingly realistic shape of a person. This transient nature of her work – a portrait ‘carved’ from a shadow – points to the ephemeral potentiality that lies dormant in everyday objects. She says in her statement, “My art making helps me realize that in everyday life we are seeing only a tiny fragment of something that is immeasurably and inexpressively grand!”
