ABOUT
Born in Japan but raised in the United States, Yukio Kevin Iraha's goal in life has always been to be creative. While there are cultural influences from both the East and the West, the majority of his works involve story-telling. The stories he expresses are obscure and ambiguous, derived from memories, cultural anecdotes, history, or folk tales; he then mixes those ideas with personal touches and imagination. He grew up in the pop culture of the eighties, delved heavily into industrial and commercial urban life, and in his earlier works reflected its post-modern sentiments.
Iraha’s primary medium has been acrylic/water media, although collage as well as graphite, pen, and ink have become part of the central media in most recent works. Although he studied drawing and painting formerly, his love of classic comic books and cartoonists from the early twentieth century, like George Herriman, Charles Schulz, and Osamu Tezuka, has led him to create the series "Nine Bits" in online formats.
"My reason for making art, to put it simply, is because I need to. It’s never been to seek approval or praise, but I needed to express myself visually, as I found it more interesting and direct than words. I also loved making stuff, and it brought me so much enjoyment. While there have been many artistic influences in my life, in the end, what mattered to me was my intuition. I’ve learned, unlearned, added, carved out those influences, and began concentrating on what appealed to my intuition. By eliminating sources that didn’t apply, what was so important to me were the basic visual elements: lines, textures, forms, patterns, and spaces. I use mostly conventional materials such as pencils, pens, archival papers, and water media to create art. I like abstract art. They are my interpretations of how I perceived things, not literal observations of objects."
Born in Japan but raised in the United States, Yukio Kevin Iraha's goal in life has always been to be creative. While there are cultural influences from both the East and the West, the majority of his works involve story-telling. The stories he expresses are obscure and ambiguous, derived from memories, cultural anecdotes, history, or folk tales; he then mixes those ideas with personal touches and imagination. He grew up in the pop culture of the eighties, delved heavily into industrial and commercial urban life, and in his earlier works reflected its post-modern sentiments.
Iraha’s primary medium has been acrylic/water media, although collage as well as graphite, pen, and ink have become part of the central media in most recent works. Although he studied drawing and painting formerly, his love of classic comic books and cartoonists from the early twentieth century, like George Herriman, Charles Schulz, and Osamu Tezuka, has led him to create the series "Nine Bits" in online formats.
"My reason for making art, to put it simply, is because I need to. It’s never been to seek approval or praise, but I needed to express myself visually, as I found it more interesting and direct than words. I also loved making stuff, and it brought me so much enjoyment. While there have been many artistic influences in my life, in the end, what mattered to me was my intuition. I’ve learned, unlearned, added, carved out those influences, and began concentrating on what appealed to my intuition. By eliminating sources that didn’t apply, what was so important to me were the basic visual elements: lines, textures, forms, patterns, and spaces. I use mostly conventional materials such as pencils, pens, archival papers, and water media to create art. I like abstract art. They are my interpretations of how I perceived things, not literal observations of objects."
CV
Yukio Kevin Iraha
Born in Japan
Residence: Washington , USA
Education
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, Oregon
Selected Exhibitions
2020- Present
2023
Born in Japan
Residence: Washington , USA
Education
Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, Oregon
Selected Exhibitions
2020- Present
- Featured Art Exhibit -www.yukiokeviniraha.com (Online Exhibition)
- "50th Anniversary Seattle Cherry blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival" Seattle, Washington
2023
- Gallery B612, "Grand Re-Opening" Exhibition. Seattle, Washington
- "Ascent" On-Site Solo Exhibition. Dumas Bay Centre, Knutzen Family Theatre Gallery, Federal Way, Washington
- FLIGHT, Janice Charach Gallery, Bloomfield, Michigan
- "Fresh Art 2021" (juried). Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, California (Online Exhibition)
- 12th Annual 10 x 10 x 10 x Tieton 2021 (juried). Tieton Arts & Humanities, Tieton, Washington
- 11th Annual 10 x 10 x 10 x Tieton 2020 (juried). Tieton Arts & Humanities, Tieton, Washington
- “13th Annual Holiday Mini Art Exhibit”, Ghost Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- “12th Annual Holiday Mini Art Exhibit”, Ghost Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- Northwest Fine Arts Competition (juried). Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle Washington
- “SMILE: Humor & Whimsy” Exhibit (juried), Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, Washington
- “Silver Linings”(juried) Exhibition. Era Living University House Wallingford, Seattle, Washington
- PNA Member and Volunteer Show, The Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- “Arts at the Port Juried Exhibition” Anacortes Arts Festival, Anacortes, Washington
- “FUNctional Art Fundraiser” Northwind Arts Center, Port Townsend, Washington
- "Small Work" Exhibition. (juried). Dendroica Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- “10th Annual Holiday Mini Art Exhibit” Ghost Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- Solo show “Quiet Retreats” University Friends Meeting, Social Hall, Seattle, Washington
- Solo show “Interiors, Fortress, Retreats” Freeland Library, Freeland, Washington
- Coupeville Arts Festival, Juried Art Show, Coupeville, Washington
- Northwind Arts Center/Showcase Gallery Port Townsend, Washington
- Washington 43rd Helen Norris Open Art Show, Port Orchard, Washington
- “Faces of America: A Celebration of Cultures” The Artreach Gallery Portland, Oregon
- “The October International Competition” (juried) Exhibition. The Armory Art Center West Palm Beach, Florida
- “17th Biennial Exhibition Contemporary Works of Faith ‘01” (juried) Exhibition. The Schumacher Gallery, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio
- “Virtue” (juried) Exhibition. College of Visual Arts St. Paul, Minnesota
- Solo show“Featured Art Exhibit” Corvallis Arts Center Corvallis, Oregon
- 2017 Merit Award, “SMILE: Humor & Whimsy” Juried Exhibit
- 2013 Honorable Mention, 43rd Helen Norris Open Art Show
- 1993 Purchase Award Liquitex Excellence in Art Student Grant Program
- "Inspired By Art," Olympic Peninsula Authors & Artists, OlyPen Books
- blog yourdesignjuice.com November 2020 issue
- "Issue 3 Fall (2020)" Online Art Journal "Subjectiv." www.subjectivjournal.com/
- Illustrations provided for "Jazz Times Magazine" 1993
- Illustrations provided for "World Traveler," Northwest Airline Inflight Magazine 1992
- Binney & Smith, Easton, PA
- Private Collections