Amy Yoshikawa Couling is a Japanese pākehā/tangata tiriti visual artist based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. She draws inspiration for her work from the rich symbolism in kimono patterns, ukiyoe woodblock prints, Japanese mythology and her bicultural heritage.

​

Amy graduated with a degree in Japanese Language and Culture and lived abroad in Japan and Europe for a few years before returning to Aotearoa New Zealand to complete her degree in Applied Visual Art.
 

Amy has always felt a strong connection to the city of Kyoto where her family is from.  Her family's business sold artisan's tools and dyes for kimono making workshops across the country, for three generations. She has vivid memories of visiting family in Kyoto as a child, to living and studying there as an adult. She is endlessly fascinated with the traditional arts and crafts and ways of making kimono that can still be observed there today. In Ōtautahi Christchurch, Amy has been learning the ways of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and practising how to wear different types of kimono for different occasions.​

​

In 2025, Amy was involved in a curatorial project at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, researching information about their Japanese ukiyoe woodblock prints, particularly yakushae (actor prints) from the Edo Period. Ukiyoe prints have always been a source of inspiration for Amy's art practice, and she particularly enjoyed being a part of this project. She also held her third solo exhibition at Refinery Artspace in Whakatū Nelson in November/December last year.

​

Amy's favoured mediums within her art practice includes painting with gouache, working with porcelain, and silk screen printing on textiles to make her own kimono. She strives to create more representation of women with mixed backgrounds like herself, and her art practice is an ongoing exploration of identity, place and belonging.

​

If you have any questions, please view the FAQ & Terms or get in contact.