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

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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 a degree in Applied Visual Art.
 

Amy has always felt a strong connection to the ancient city of Kyoto where her family is from, and she has vivid memories of visiting relatives there in childhood, 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 wearing different types of kimono. 

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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.

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