Mio Yamato: Under my skin (Feb 14 – Mar 22, 2025)

THEO is pleased to present Mio Yamato’s solo exhibition, [Under my skin], from February 14 to March 22, 2025.

An Artist Talk will be held on Friday, February 14, at 6:30 PM.

[Under my skin]

Mio Yamato (b. 1990, Shiga, Japan) is a contemporary artist based in Kyoto. Her early works feature the DOT and LINE series, where she layers simple, minimal elements such as dots and lines. Through these works, she explores themes of life itself, drawing inspiration from cellular movement, geological sedimentation, and tree rings.

More recently, she has developed diverse series that delve into time, perception, and various natural phenomena on Earth. These include the Breath series, which captures traces of breathing on a two-dimensional surface, and the Spectrum series, an attempt to explore existence through shifts in natural light. At the core of her practice is a profound contemplation of life and existence.

This exhibition focuses on Under my skin, a series that marks Mio Yamato’s first solo exhibition in Korea.

Under my skin begins with the artist’s observation of her own blood cells under an optical microscope. By studying how the cells change over time or in response to her health conditions, she visualizes the diverse life forms and activities that exist within the human body. Through this series, she transforms these microscopic observations into artworks, revealing the unseen vitality within us.

In this series, blood cells observed under different magnifications and conditions are recreated on canvas using paint in a collage-like format. These scenes, reminiscent of a continuous flow of microorganisms or a star-strewn night sky, suggest the interconnectedness of life and existence from both microscopic and macroscopic perspectives.