"una" Recovery through Recovery

“Ever since I was very young, the light has been talking to me and the world seen through it appeared bathed in a kind of beauty. I have started photography when I was 20 years old and I have instantly felt that the light and the objects were merging. The exhibition has been inspired by the light. Photography provides a point of contact between the world and myself.”

Yumiko likes to perceive the world through the lens of a camera. This tool becomes then an extension to her eyes. The camera allows her to feel the emotions with more strength and at the same time to record them. She works both in Sweden and in Japan. The exhibition on Una is all about solitude, memory, a lifetime and the merciless old age. Una is an old woman. Yumiko met her in 1993. Their relations have grown over time. She started taking photographs of her in 2001. Born in 1916, Una Gold was an actress. In 2004, she has suffered a stroke which left her partially paralyzed. The “Una” project depicts the daily life of an aged woman in her intimacy, in her house and her garden, where she has lived for 40 years. The artist discloses her non-verbal conversations, the communication shared among them, but also the communication which established between Una and herself facing the camera. Confidence, fondness, conflict and modesty, many feelings have found their way between the photographer and its model. One cannot help asking the question why Yumiko has taken photographs of this woman who physically suffers under the weight of time, but who has nevertheless found her peace. She has found light in her own life. These photographs are not only recordings of the natural cycle of life but also a means of retrieving pure moments of life. The pictures for the artist are alive and link the artist to nature.

“Before, I was photographing only objects. I have then felt the need to photograph what was invisible to the naked eye and unique to each person. Before Una, I thought that I would not be capable of photographing human beings, probably because people frightened me. I have been listening more carefully to the things, to the signs surrounding me and to Una of course. The world talked to me and I was able to understand Una while listening. These words are strong. But the work progresses beyond the word.”

Also Yumiko shows hologram and photograph installation with light and sound.