ARAKAKI YUUKA

Born in 1985 in Naha City, Okinawa. Born and raised in Okinawa, she learned about the traditional craft of Bingata and was fascinated by the vivid colors that stand out even in the strong sunlight, and aspired to become a Bingata artist. After graduating from the dyeing and weaving design course at...

Born in 1985 in Naha City, Okinawa. Born and raised in Okinawa, she learned about the traditional craft of Bingata and was fascinated by the vivid colors that stand out even in the strong sunlight, and aspired to become a Bingata artist. After graduating from the dyeing and weaving design course at Okinawa Prefectural Shuri High School, he worked at Shuri Ryusome, Tamanaha Bingata Studio, and Okinawa Crafts Institute (Bingata Course) before making his debut as an artist in 2009. In 2011 and 2012, he won the grand prize in the Ryugin Bingata Design Contest for two consecutive years. He has steadily built up a list of accomplishments, including being selected for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten) and the Japan New Crafts Exhibition for four consecutive years. He has also been featured in several famous hotels, including the Bank of the Ryukyus' bankbook, the Japan Foundation's traveling exhibition in Uruguay, the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort, and the main lobby of Hotel JAL CITY Naha, as well as in art textbooks for 2nd and 3rd graders in junior high school (Nihonbunkyo Publishing), product design and advertising for several major companies, etc. His unique style is highly acclaimed for his ideas, techniques, and materials that are not bound by the stereotypes of traditional crafts. Currently, he is attracting worldwide attention as an up-and-coming Bingata artist based in Yomitan Village, Okinawa.