Artist

Artist Biography

Masayuki Yogi was born in Naha, Okinawa. He graduated from Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts with a degree in Design.
After working for six years as a graphic designer at an advertising agency in Tokyo, he returned to Okinawa, where the island’s abundant nature and enduring traditional culture became the foundation of his artistic vision.

Influenced by classical visual traditions such as bingata dyeing, raden (mother-of-pearl inlay), shadow puppetry, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and Jomon pottery, Yogi developed a distinctive style that bridges Asian decorative traditions with contemporary visual expression.

He refers to this approach as “Ryukyu Illustration”, a visual language that reflects Okinawan cultural heritage while expressing broader Asian cosmological perspectives and the interconnectedness of life.

In 2017 he founded art gallery soranoe in Okinawa City, which functions as both his studio and exhibition space.
He has collaborated with companies including UNIQLO, KOKUYO, DFS, Sunshine Aquarium, and Orion Beer.

He currently serves as a part-time lecturer at Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts.

Artist Statement

In my twenties, I spent about six years working in Tokyo after leaving Okinawa.

When I eventually left my job and returned to Okinawa, I was once again deeply moved by the animistic worldview that quietly exists in everyday life there—expressed through the vivid colors of the subtropical landscape and the presence of ancestors, spirits, and souls believed to dwell within nature.

The impulse to express this primitive world and its spirituality became the origin of my artistic practice.

To visualize this worldview, I began focusing on patterns and ornamentation. Since ancient times, such patterns have served not merely as decoration, but as visual manifestations of prayers—for protection from evil, fertility, and prosperity.

By incorporating these patterned motifs into my work, I attempt to make visible the invisible forces of life and the memories of life inscribed within the soul.

I also embed Asian cosmological ideas—such as yin and yang, feng shui, and the interconnectedness of all things—into my work. Ancient people lived with a deep reverence for nature and the cosmos while seeking harmony and stability within them. My work attempts to evoke the spiritual fulfillment that arises from our connection with nature and the universe—something often lacking in contemporary society—and to awaken the viewer’s inner “microcosm.”

I draw forms using pen lines and apply color digitally. By intersecting classical sensibilities with contemporary techniques, I create a distinctive visual texture in which nostalgia and newness coexist.

For me, lines are threads that weave wishes and prayers, while the many layers of color symbolize accumulated histories.

As a conceptual framework for reinterpreting Asia’s primitive patterns, ornamentation, and cosmological perspectives in a contemporary context, I have named my work “Ryukyu Illustration.”

I hope that viewers will reflect on the spirituality woven through Okinawa’s vivid colors and patterns, the cultural connections across Asia, and their own place as part of the universe, ultimately finding a sense of spiritual fulfillment.

アーティストステートメント

20代の頃、私は沖縄を離れて6年ほど東京で働いていた時期がありました。
沖縄に戻ると、亜熱帯の鮮烈な色彩に満ちた自然、そして自然の中に宿る祖先や精霊、魂の存在といった、沖縄の日常の中に静かに息づくアニミズム的な世界観に、私は改めて深く共鳴しました。

このプリミティブな世界と精神性を表現したいという衝動が、私の創作活動の原点となっています。

その世界観を視覚的に表現するため、私は文様や装飾に着目しました。文様は古来、単なる装飾ではなく、魔除けや多産、繁栄といった祈りを可視化する役割を担ってきました。

そうした文様のイメージを作品に取り入れることで、目には見えない生命の力や、魂に刻まれた生命の記憶を可視化しました。

また私は、陰陽や風水、森羅万象といったアジア的宇宙観も作品に込めています。古代の人々は自然や宇宙に畏敬の念を抱きながらも、調和して安寧を求めてきました。
私の作品は、現代社会において失われがちな自然や宇宙とのつながりによる精神的な充足を呼び起こし、鑑賞者の内なる「小宇宙」を目覚めさせる試みでもあります。

私はペンによる線で形を描き、デジタルで彩色します。古典と現代的な技法を交差させることで、懐かしさと新しさが同居する独自の質感を生み出しました。

私にとって線は、願いや祈りを紡ぐ糸であり、幾層にも重ねられた色彩は積み重なった歴史を象徴しています。

こうしたアジアのプリミティブな文様や装飾、宇宙観を現代的に再構築する思想として、私は自らの作品を 「琉球イラストレーション」 と名付けました。

鑑賞者が沖縄の鮮やかな色彩と文様が織りなす精神性、アジア文化のつながり、そして自分が宇宙の一部であることに思いを巡らし、精神の充足を得ることを願っています。

CV

• 2017– Founded art gallery soranoe, Okinawa
• 2018– Solo Exhibitions, foranew (Tokyo,Osaka,Kanagawa,Saitama,Chiba,Nara)
• 2023-2024 Solo Exhibitions, MARUZEN (Tokyo)
• 2018 Solo Exhibitions,Guangyiliuji (Taiwan,Taipei)

Selected Collaborations

• UNIQLO (UTme!)
• KOKUYO
• DFS (Okinawa Naha Airport)
• Sunshine Aquarium
• Orion Beer

Education

• Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts — B.A. Design

Teaching

• Part-time Lecturer — Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts