I consider that the subjectivity is formed through the repetitive process of deconstructing the existing objects, and ruminating on such process. There is no specific aim to find a meaning, neither in the creative act itself, nor through the creative process. The totality of the meaning can be found in the continuation of the process. Therefore the reason for the creative act would be found in different inquiry.

The obsession of pursuit of the meaning is unlocked by the pure enjoyment of creative act. The obsession in turn would release the meaning of the search by forgetting the initial inquiry. There are innumerable ways to enact the process, however there is one answer to the result of the process. Within the answer contains two opposing perspectives that has no hierarchy. The point of view, both subjective and objective, as well as the scale of the perception would affect the location of the answer. I sense the distance to the answer gets ever more shorter as I repeat the inquiry.

The answer certainly exists in the past and it could simply be overlooked. The past always has the potential for the new discoveries for me. Since the inquiry originates within my mind, thus the approach to look and find the answer can change completely. It shifts while depending of my state of mind. So it is both firm, as well as transient. Creation of the artworks comes after my deconstructive process on already existing canvas, separating vertical and horizontal threads. The totality of the meaning can be found in the continuation of the process. Therefore the reason for the creative act would be found in different inquiry.
Biography
2024
3/2~4/6 "TOKICO" / studio e gallery / Seattle WA

2023
12/7~12/23 "Holiday Group Exhibition" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR
10/15~10/15/2023 "The Third Meaning: ESTAR (SER) Installs Frye Collection" / Frye Art Museum / Seattle WA
7/27-7/30 Seattle Art Fair 2023 / studio e / Lumen Field Event Center / Seattle WA
7/27-7/30 Seattle Art Fair 2023 / Russo Lee Gallery / Lumen Field Event Center / Seattle WA
7/6~7/28 "the front to the reverse to what is in between" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR
6/20~ "The Pike Overlook" Curated by fruitsuper / USBC Cedar Hall / Seattle WA
4/29~6/2 "Understory: Connection through creativity and fine art" Curator Tami Landis / Paper Whale / Canopy Gallery / Bow WA
1/1-12/31 "Untitled" / Bellevue Arts Museum / Bellevue WA

2022
11/5~12/3 "Untitled" / studio e / Seattle WA
11/4~1/2023 "Meander" Curated by fruitsuper / Foundry Vineyards / Walla Walla WA
10/15~10/15/2023 "The Third Meaning: ESTAR (SER) Installs Frye Collection" / Frye Art Museum / Seattle WA
9/14~ Portable Collection - City of Bellevue Art Program / Bellevue Cuty Hall / Bellevue WA
8/1~9/31 "PICNIC" / studio e / Seattle WA
7/21-7/24 Seattle Art Fair 2022 / Russo Lee Gallery / Lumen Field Event Center / Seattle WA
7/21-7/24 Seattle Art Fair 2022 / studio e / Lumen Field Event Center / Seattle WA
1/1-12/31 "Untitled" / Bellevue Arts Museum / Bellevue WA
9/11/2021~1/23 "Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art" / Frye Art Museum / Seattle WA
12/11/2021~1/8 "Light & Graphite" A lantern in the hand on a dark winter night / studio e / Seattle WA

2021
12/11~1/8/2022 "Light & Graphite" A lantern in the hand on a dark winter night / studio e / Seattle WA
12/2~12/24 "Holiday Group Exhibition" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR
9/11~1/23/2022 "Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art" / Frye Art Museum / Seattle WA
8/5~8/28 "untitled" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR
6/3~6/26 "New Works" / SOIL gallery / Seattle WA
1/1-12/31 "Untitled" / Bellevue Arts Museum / Bellevue WA

2020
12/3~12/24 "Group Exhibition Of Gallery Artists" / RUSSO LEE GALLERY / Portland OR
12/3 "Masquerade A Not So Silent Auction" / Soil Gallery / Seattle WA
11/19 "GOLDEN Backstage Pass" / Shunpike / Seattle WA
10/2~11/21 "American Contemporary Craft" / The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts - Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall / Lubbock TX
7/17~8/29 "Emily Counts & Ko Kirk Yamahira" / studio e / Seattle WA
8/ ~ "The Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair 2020 - SDAF" / studio e / Seattle WA
6/ ~ "PAUSE/PLAY: Gallery 4Culture Online" / 4culture.org / Seattle WA
6/12~6/15 "Bellevue Arts Museum's Virtual Gala" / Bellevue Arts Museum / Bellevue WA
5/30~11/1 "Macy's Storefront 2020" / Olive and 4th - Shunpike / Seattle WA
3/6~9/27 "FIBER2020" / Bainbridge Island Museum of Art / Bainbridge Island WA
1/2~2/1 "fractions" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR

2019
11/7-12/5 "untitled" / 4Culture / Seattle WA
8/1-8/4 Seattle Art Fair 2019 / Russo Lee Gallery / CenturyLink Field Event Center / Seattle WA
4/22-6/2 "Prepped" / Bellevue Arts Museum - Community Education Gallery / Bellevue WA
4/25-4/28 artMRKT San Francisco / RUSSO LEE GALLERY / Fort Mason Center in San Francisco CA
4/4-5/1 "untitled" / ZEITGEIST / Seattle WA
3/16-4/13 "By and By: Hope for the Future" Presented by Durden and Ray and SOIL / Durden and Ray / Los Angeles CA
3/8-4/6 "untitled" / Deluge Contemporary Art / Victoria BC

2018
11/3 "The Harvest" Curated by Sequoia Day O'Connell, produced by Bridge Productions / The Factory / Seattle WA
10/28 "SOIL's Exquisite Auction" / Greg Kucera Gallery / Seattle WA
10/4-10/27 "untitled" / Russo Lee Gallery / Portland OR
10/1-11/16 "Drawn Out" Curated by Zack Bent / SPAC gallery / Seattle WA
10/4-10/27 "untitled" / SOIL gallery / Seattle WA
8/4-9/30 "Becoming American" / SOIL gallery (San Juan National Historic Park and various locations in Seattle Washington) / Seattle WA
7/21-8/25 "The Veil" Curated by Sequoia Day O'Connell / Bridge Productions / Seattle WA
7/10- "Untitled" / Bellevue Arts Museum / Bellevue WA
6/9-7/1 "Time Difference 3 - ART BEASTIES" / Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum / Tokyo JP
2/17-6/3 "Ko Kirk Yamahira" Curated by Amanda Donnan / Frye Art Museum / Seattle WA
4/5-430 "Ko Kirk" / ZEITGEIST / Seattle WA
3/26-6/24 "Storefront 2018" / South Lake Union - Shunpike / Seattle WA
3/1-3/31 "In the shadow of Olympus" - ART BEASTIES / SOIL gallery / Seattle WA

2017
12/14-1/9 "Deconstruction And Reconstruction" / Sun Gallery Seattle / Seattle WA
11/2-12/3 "INTERSTATE - Biennial National Juried Exhibit" Juried by Emily Zimmerman / Sarah Spurgeon Gallery / Ellensburg WA
8/3-9/3 "Seven Bodies - New Members Show" / SOIL Gallery / Seattle WA
7/6-9/5 "Deconstruction" / Mithun Design Threshold Gallery / Seattle WA
6/23 "2017 SOIL ART AUCTION / ART-A-CONDA" / Canvas / Seattle WA
6/10-9/10 "Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibitions and Awards" Juried by Catharina Manchanda / The Whatcom Museum / Bellingham WA
5/1- "Untitled" / Le Merde Art Gallery / Seattle WA
4/6-5/3 "Deconstruction" / ZEITGEIST / Seattle WA
1/5-2/18 "Deconstruction" / Integrus Architecture - A Gallery / Seattle WA

2016
6/1-6/5 "Time Difference 2 - ART BEASTIES" / Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art gallery section / Hyogo JP
5/20 "2016 SOIL ART AUCTION / TRANSPORTED" King Street Station / Seattle WA
4/7-6/3 "New Work" ZEITGEIST / Seattle WA
2/4 "Surfacetication" / Gallery13 / Minneapolis MN

2015
5-2016/9 "untitled" / DUNE NY / New York NY
4/2-5/2 "Time Difference - ART BEASTIES" / SOIL gallery / Seattle WA
4/2-4/5 "POPUP - ART BEASTIES" / Prole Drift gallery / Seattle WA

2014
9/26-9/28 "ART BEASTIES 1ST ANNIVERSARY" OPEN STUDIO / Dumbo NY
4/1-4/16 "ISO 216" / ConArtist gallery New York NY / The Test Space Gallery London UK
3/18-3/22 "Fluid Destination - ART BEASTIES" / Lower Eastside NY
1/29-1/31 "Introductions - ART BEASTIES" / Brooklyn Fire Proof / Brooklyn NY

2013
11/7-11/29 "AS group exhibition" / Brooklyn New York
7/17-7/23 "Problematic" / Brooklyn Fire Proof / Brooklyn NY
4/25-4/27 "Design on a DIME 2013" / Shields Company/ Tyler Design / Metropolitan Pavillion / Chelsea NY
3/13-4/3 "Slap - Adhesives & Egos a DIY Sticker Exhibition" / ConArtist gallery / New York NY
2/8-2/15 "Real Time" / Chelsea Private Studio / New York NY

2012
9/13-12/8"C'EST QUOI LA FEMME?" / Tria Gallery / New York NY
9/8-9/20 "CONNIVAL" / Chashama / New York NY
7/25-9/9 "20+ Artist Summer Show" / WIP / New York NY
6/13-6/27 "You Are My Favorite" / ConArtist Gallery / New York NY
4/26-4/28 "Design on a Dime 2012" / Shields Company / Metropolitan Pavillion / Chelsea NY
4/18-4/22 "12th Annual Affordable Art Fair New York" / Tria Gallery at Booth #F-8 / New York NY
Awards
2024
"Alden Mason Foundation Grand Prize Award" / Alden Mason Foundation / Seattle WA

2017
"The Kayla Skinner Special Recognition Award" / Seattle Art Museum / Seattle WA
"Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibitions and Awards" / The Whatcom Museum / Bellingham WA
"INTERSTATE - Biennial National Juried Exhibit" / Sarah Spurgeon Gallery / Ellensburg WA
Publication
2022
Remark, 2022. Gallery 4Culture
"A book about love, persistence, and region rich in creativity."
100 Gallery 4Culture alumni, spanning the program's 40+ years history.

Lydia Lee "Think you know Palm Springs modern? just wait until you see this house." / Elle Decor October 2022
Press
2023
Rachel Silva and Lucia Tonelli "45 + Midcentury Modern Living Rooms That Put Retro Back on the Map" These stylish rooms aren't exactly midcentury modest - design+decorate > room ideas / Elle Decor / elledecor.com

2022
Lydia Lee "Think you know Palm Springs modern? just wait until you see this house." - design+decorate > house tours / Elle Decor / elledecor.com

Sydney Gore (Photography by Jenna Peffley Styled by Kat Bell) Web-Exclusive Hime Tour - "Welcome to Demi Lovato’s Trippy Modern Farmhouse" / architecture+design / architecturaldigest.com

Marisa "Portland Art Outing: Portland Russo Lee Gallery / Art / modernhomesportland.com

2021
"Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art" / Frye Art Museum / fryemuseum.org

2020
The jealous curator / Ko Kirk Yamahira / thejealouscurator.com

Stefan Milne "Is the Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair Actually a Fair?" / Seattle Met Arts & Culture / seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture

Brangien Davis "Editor’s Notebook: Seattle Art Fair, deconstructed" / the Crosscut / crosscut.com/culture

Jasmyne Keimig "Currently Hanging: Emily Counts and Ko Kirk Yamahira at studio e gallery" / The Stranger's Slog / thestranger.com/slog

Micaela Green "Interview with exhibiting artist Ko Kirk Yamahira" / Bainbridge Island Museum of Art / biartmuseum.org

Executive Director & Chief Curator Benedict Heywood "Curator Tours" / Bellevue Arts Museum / bellevuearts.org

Rachel Rosenfield Lafo "Unwound and unbound" / OREGON ARTS WATCH / orartswatch.org

Briana Miller "8 art exhibits to bring a touch of beauty to this Portland winter" / The Oregonian / oregonlive.com

2019
Juliet Helmke "Seattle Art Fair, Despite New Challenges, Is a Site for Discovery" / OBSERVER / observer.com

"Frye Art Museum acquires works by four artists from the 2019 Seattle Art Fair" / artdaily.com / artdaily.com

"REVIEW: Seattle Art Fair 2019" / JUXTAPOZ / juxtapoz.com

"Frye Art Museum Acquires Four Works from Seattle Art Fair" / ARTFORUM / artforum.com

Richard Speer "untitled RUSSO LEE GALLERY Portland OR" / FABRIK Contemporary Art Issue 40

2018
Gayle Clemans "'The Veil’ exhibition at Bridge Productions spans ideas of what’s seen and unseen" / The Seattle Times / seattletimes.com

Meshell Sturgis "Becoming Undone: Ko Kirk Yamahira at the Frye Art Museum" / Art Practical / artpractical.com

Margo Vansynghel "Ko Kirk Yamahira Deconstructs Abstraction at the Frye" / City Arts / cityartsmagazine.com

Susan Kunimatsu "Time is of the Essence: The work of Ko Kirk Yamahira" / International Examiner / iexaminer.org

2017
Amber Cortes "Meet the 2017 Betty Bowen Award Nominees" / The Stranger SLOG / thestranger.com

"Finalists selected for the 2017 Betty Bowen Award" / artdaily.com

Gary Faigin "Review: Diverse notions of drawing at the Whatcom Museum" / The Seattle Times / seattletimes.com

"Drawing Practice: Bellingham National Juried Art Exhibition and Awards" / SAM BLOG / seattleartmuseum.org
Collections
2024
Soho House Portland

2023
USBC Public Art Collection

2021
Microsoft Art Collection
Port of Portland
Facebook / Meta

2020
City of Bellevue Art Collection

2019
Frye Art Museum
King County Public Art Collection
Seattle-based artist Ko Kirk Yamahira, the finished painting is a beginning rather than an end. Painstakingly removing individual threads from the weave of the canvas, Yamahira deconstructs his paintings, turning surface into form. He has exhibited in galleries in the United States and Japan, both individually and as a member of the artist collectives Art Beasties and SOIL (~2021).