The "to UNDECORATED" project recently launched, with the inaugural event being "PICKNICK," a solo exhibition by glass artist Yoko Yamano Anderson. We spoke with the artist to learn about her inspirations and creative process.


――First, please tell us about your journey to becoming a glass artist.

Yamano: My interest in glass began in my teens. My mother took me to a Scandinavian exhibition, and I was really struck by the glass pieces there. That sparked my interest, and I started researching on my own.

In high school, I heard there was a place to study in Sweden, so I went to the embassy and collected资料. Of course, the materials were in Swedish and I couldn't read them at all, so I just bought a dictionary and translated them repeatedly.


――Since elementary school! It's amazing that you've maintained that interest for so long!

Yamano: I think it was good that it wasn't as easy to research back then as it is now. Perhaps the pace of my interest and my knowledge worked well together.

After graduating from university in Japan, I studied glassmaking techniques in Småland, Sweden, known as the "Kingdom of Glass," and then earned my master's degree at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.




――You really delved deep into glass. What aspects of glass captivated you?

Yamano: In Japan, I grew up being taught that glass was a summer item, but in Sweden, it's enjoyed even during the long, dark winters as a material that beautifully captures light. It's cool yet warm, solid yet liquid, light yet shadow. I think the multifaceted nature of glass, how each owner can incorporate it into their own lives, is what makes it so appealing.


――Now, about your creative process. Do you start with a clear image of what you want to make, or do you shape it as you go? Please tell us about how you create your works.

Yamano: With over 20 years of experience, I can usually predict the production process for most of what I want to make. However, sometimes things don't go as well as expected, and sometimes they go better than imagined, so I never really know until I start making it. For fine-tuning, I often shape things as I go.




――You create a wide range of works, not just cups and wine glasses, but also vases and bookends. Where do you draw inspiration for your pieces?

Yamano: I draw inspiration from people's actions and behaviors. For example, when I was a student, I saw a friend drinking wine on the first day of an exhibition, and then arranging flowers in the empty bottle, which inspired me to create a wine bottle-shaped vase. Also, from my own habit of tucking postcards, stamps, and banknotes between books on a bookshelf, I created bookends out of hollow glass shaped like books. Most of my starting points come from the actions and behaviors of people around me.

This time, keeping the exhibition theme "Picnic" in mind, I created tableware for picnics.


――You are the subject of the inaugural "to UNDECORATED" project. What are your thoughts on this kind of project?

Yamano: As both clothing and glass exist in living spaces, I've never felt that they are such different industries. As someone who creates tools necessary for daily life, I didn't feel any discomfort with this collaboration and I think it's a wonderful idea.


――About life in Sweden.
After studying techniques in Sweden, you could have chosen to return to Japan to create your works. What made you choose Stockholm as an artist?

Yamano: It started when I graduated from school in Stockholm and was able to share a workshop there. In Sweden, the glass industry has been active for a long time, and there are places to study glass at a university level, based on craftsmanship. The culture, people's habits, and knowledge cultivated over a long history were very stimulating, and the responsiveness to glass was also appealing. Also, glassmaking is teamwork, so I was grateful to meet a reliable and good team. And above all, the cold, dark, long winters are perfect for glassmaking. Stockholm is the capital, but it's on the edge of Europe, providing an environment where I can focus on my own work, maintain a good connection with society, and work easily.




――What do you like about Stockholm?

Yamano: I like that it's close to both the forest and the city. Also, I like that people don't interfere with each other. I also appreciate the flat relationship I have with my fellow artists and assistants that I've studied with.


――We're also curious about how you spend your days off!

Yamano: I invite friends over for meals or go on picnics in the forest. I'm also good at cutting hair, so I sometimes cut my own and my family's hair. I might do a big load of laundry or a more thorough cleaning than usual, or spend time cooking elaborate meals and making meal prep. And watering plants and tending to their leaves. I do housework while chatting online with friends or listening to online talk events and news.


――Finally, please tell us about your future outlook.

Yamano: Since 2019, as a lifelong project, I have been collaborating with 18 painters from Japan, Sweden, and Germany. I invited 18 painters of different genders, ages, and styles, asked them what kind of glass tableware they wanted to depict, then I created it, and they painted still life pictures with the glass tableware as a motif. Just as fragile glass can exist in paintings for hundreds of years, I hope to convey the current state of glass tableware not only to the present but also to future generations who will exist long after I am gone.

Yoko Yamano Anderson
Since 2001, Yoko Yamano Anderson has been studying glassmaking techniques in Småland, Southern Sweden, Finland, and Venice—all meccas of the glass industry. In 2004, she moved to Stockholm to pursue a master's degree in ceramic and glass at Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design), and now has a studio in Gustavsberg, where she actively creates glass art. In 2011, she received a cultural award from the City of Stockholm, and in 2014, the Swedish Parliament acquired one of her works for its collection. She has exhibited her works not only in the EU but also in the UK, Serbia, and Japan. Through her lifelong project, "Glass Tableware in Still Life," she explores and expresses the multifaceted nature of glass tableware.

to UNDECORATED ― Yoko Yamano Anderson Solo Exhibition ―
April 16 (Sat) - April 24 (Sun) 1 PM - 7 PM


Artist will be present on: April 16 (Sat) 1:30 PM – 6:30 PM
groundfloor Gallery
1-8-1 Nakameguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 2F
03-3794-4037

photo by Gustav Karlsson Frost