Yuki White is an ICU ’06 graduate who is currently living and working in NYC as an artist. She has studied at the New York Fashion Institute of Technology until 2014. Her paintings have been shown in both public and private exhibitions in and around New York City and her work was recently selected to be featured in Amazon Art Collections.

Paul C: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, Yuki!

Yuki: Thanks for having me!

Paul C:  So, let’s start! How did you first become interested in art?

Yuki: I have always been interested in art since I was a child. I was really interested in colors and loved using colored pencils. It still has some influence on my painting right now. My painting is abstract. I think I try to use a wide range of the color spectrum.

Actually, I was interested in music when I was younger, I loved colors and art, but when I was younger I was more attracted to music. I was attracted to the unique world that music creates. I feel like when I listen to music I feel another aspect of this world.

Paul C: How did painting become your main focus?

Yuki: When I was a high school student, I was interested in many things. Music, arts, photography, law, economics, design, I was interested in most everything. I was in Japan but I was interested in other cultures too. I went to England when I was a high school student to study English. It was a short stay, just two weeks but I was attracted to London’s culture. I was a young high school student who wanted to study many things, so it was a very good experience for me. I decided the best way to get to study many things was to go to a liberal arts college. At ICU there was no Studio Art class, but you could take Art History. So I felt like ICU was the perfect match for me at that time.

Paul C:  It sounds like you had a good experience at ICU!

Yuki: Yes, at ICU I had many wonderful friends. I felt like the professors were very passionate about what they taught and I loved the Bakayama too!
Since I was interested in so many things, ICU was the best place for me. I was still interested in music, but through studying art history I became very attracted to the idea of making art!

Paul C: Were there many other art students when you were there?

Yuki: Well, in the English Language Program, I met only one or two people who were art majors. I was in the humanities and there were only two or three others in humanities.

Paul C: So you were a pretty rare student then! What kind of interaction did you have with the international side of ICU?

Yuki: Not so much. I met one September student (all Japanese students start in April) in the photography club and I had one friend from Hungary, which was pretty cool!

Paul C: What kind of path have you taken since you graduated?

Yuki: When I graduated I decided I wanted to study Studio Art, so I decided to save up money and go to New York and study fine arts. I worked for four years in Japan, then came to New York in 2010.

Paul C: And where did you study?

Yuki: At the Fashion Institute of Technology. It’s in Chelsea, NY – which has a lot of great galleries. It was a really nice area to study!

Paul C:  You just had a solo exhibition at the Consulate General, how did you make that happen?

Yuki: I applied and got accepted! It was a great opportunity for me. I also got accepted by some juried shows in NYC as well! …In case you don’t know, a juried show is when a jury looks at submitted applications and selects just a few to have in the exhibition.

Paul C:  Was it very difficult to be accepted in New York?

Yuki: Yes, it’s very competitive. One time I was one of 22 people who were accepted and I later found out the jury had gone through 230 applications! It’s very tough, since New York attracts so many artists.

Paul C:  Do you feel that being at ICU has helped you as an artist?

Yuki: My time in both Japan and New York has helped me grow as an artist. It has helped me experience a different way of thinking. Sometimes I experience a viewpoint or way of thinking that I never would have normally encountered in Japan. This helps me to express my concept and my art. It helps me improves my expressions and my paintings.

Paul C:  Do you keep in touch with any of your ICU friends?

Yuki: Yes, I keep in touch with a few of them through email and some have sent me cards. I made wonderful friends at ICU and I feel like we’re going to be friends forever (laughs). I have a good bond with them.

Paul C:  Are any of them abroad as well?

Yuki: Actually, I met some ICU graduates here in New York. We were in the same year and didn’t know each other in Japan, but we became friends in New York!

Paul C:  Have you visited ICU since you graduated?

Yuki: Yes sometimes, I was taking a curators qualifications course at ICU, and did museum practice at the Hachiro Yuasa memorial museum on ICU campus. After I graduated I came back to visit the museum several times. The curators now teach museum practice and museum studies. I visit and talk to them… I do miss ICU and wish I could go back more often!

Paul C: Thank you for sharing a bit about your life at ICU and your career now. We wish you the best of luck with your art and look forward to seeing more of it!