Yukito Nishinaka

Born 1964 in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

Graduated 1988 Phar.B. Hoshi University of Pharmacy, Tokyo.

Studied Sculpture and Glass 1991-94 at California College of the Arts, Oakland, USA.

Yukito Nishinaka is a glass artist bringing a distinctive Japanese aesthetic into his work and is particularly interested in having his vessels used in the Tea Ceremony. 'The concept of my work ‘YO BI TSU GI’ is rebirth.‘YO BI TSU GI’ is the traditional restoring technique for the ceramic Tea bowl. Traditionally, URUSHI lacquer was used as glue to join the damaged parts together and finished with gold leaf, thus enhancing the broken parts with a renewed charm. I join my glass parts together using molten glass to create an image of ‘KIMONO’. Finally, I have reproduced my glass ‘YO BI TSU GI’ as my own interpretation to emphasise and harmonise the Japanese sense of beauty.’

In 2019 Nishinaka was commissioned to create a permanent Glass Zen Garden, Karesansui Garden (Eternal Affinity), at the Honen-in Temple, Kyoto, Japan. In 2020 the concept film for this project received the Gold Award at the World Media Festival hosted in Hamburg, Germany. 

Nishinaka's work is held in many International public collections, including The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford, UK, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France, The Daiichi Museum, Nagoya, Japan and The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.