ABOUT
Ryoko Minamitani is a Japanese artist born in Ise City, Mie and currently based in Wales, UK.
Her artistic formation spans two countries and two disciplines: she studied mixed media painting under Tatsuhiko Yokoo, a Zen master and professional painter active in Germany and Japan, before completing an MA in Art & Design at Leeds Beckett University.
This dual grounding in Eastern contemplative practice and Western fine art education has shaped the distinctive visual and philosophical language that defines her work.
Since completing her studies, she has been devoted to developing her practice through solo and group exhibitions primarily across the UK, with selected works featured in curated shows and private collections.
STATEMENT
My practice integrates abstract painting with spiritual inquiry, exploring the relationship between consciousness, the subconscious, and the unseen structures of existence.
Through painting, I translate invisible energies, emotional residues, and subtle vibrations into visual form. I approach abstraction as a space where inner states emerge without fixed interpretation.
My work is informed by Abstract Expressionism, Astrology, and spiritual traditions such as Shinto, Esoteric Shinto and Zen alongside contemporary metaphysical thought. I also draw from daily observation, natural order, and a sense of universal connection.
The four elements—Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind—form both a conceptual and material framework within my practice. These are expressed through gesture, Acylics, ink, fluid processes, materials such as sand and pigment, and the presence of the invisible.
My intention is not to explain, but to create a space of experience where viewers may encounter stillness, awareness, and resonance beyond language.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026 — Open Summer Exhibition, Andover, UK
2026 — 35th show, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK
2025 — Crane Court Gallery, London, UK
2025 — Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK
2025 — English Art Co., Leeds, UK
2024 — Project Play Online Auction, France / UK
2023 — The Sound of Silence (Solo), Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK
2021 — The Holy Art (Shortlisted), London, UK
2021 — Thrown Contemporary, London, UK
2019 — CICA Museum, Korea
2018 — NN Contemporary Art, Northampton, UK
2017 — The Sound of Inner Universe (Solo), Chalice gallery London, UK
2016 — The Flower of Universe (Solo, shortlisted for Joan bursary), Calver Gallery, Bradford, UK
2015 ー Curator choice, Leeds College of Art, Leeds, UK
COLLECTIONS
CICA Museum, Korea
Sue Ryder Hospice, UK
Zen Buddhist centre, UK
Yoga centre, UK
International property, UK
Private collections in UK, USA, France, Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Portugal, Japan
COLLABORATIONS
Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK
English Art Co., Leeds, UK
The Poetry Beast, UK
CONTACT
