“I don’t know of any other choice,” Yoskay Yamamoto says, “but to continue.” As a successful artist and multicultural symbol of Japanese American identity, Yoskay Yamamoto serves as an inspiration to many. His artwork has brought joy to communities, wonder to children, and human connection to strangers. However, Yamamoto’s path to success was neither simple nor easy. Instead, his creative journey has been one of determination, hard work, and perseverance.
Embracing a Japanese American Identity
Born in Toba, Japan, Yamamoto immigrated to the United States when he was 15 years old. In the country that was to become his home, he became exposed to what he describes as a “different culture, different environment.”
Not only facing the difficulty of speaking a different language, Yamamoto also confronted the nightmare every new kid at school faces: The need to belong. “I was trying to fit into so-called American lifestyle, like Western lifestyle,” he explains. “I tried to distance myself from the country and the culture I grew up with.”
Even though he still maintained an appreciation for aspects of Japanese culture, such as its traditional art, Yamamoto says that he nevertheless felt as if he had suffered from what he describes as “inner racism” or “racism against my own roots.”
However, this was not the end of Yamamoto’s connection with his Japanese identity. As he spent more time with other Japanese American children who took great pride in their culture and cuisine, he began to similarly embrace the culture of the country that he left but could never forget in his heart.
“I’m like, ‘What am I doing? Of course I love rice and sushi,’” Yamamoto says. “I’m Japanese.”
Nowadays, he says he loves reflecting on how manga and anime have spread throughout America. “They just pierced through popular culture in the United States.”
Nevertheless, even manga could not save him from the repetitiveness of a mispronounced name. Originally spelled “Yosuke,” Yoskay Yamamoto became tired of correcting the pronunciation of his name, eventually changing it to “Yoskay” as a suggestion from his English tutor. That is how he found himself at the start of his creative journey, having embraced a name that he believes fit his Japanese American identity.
Launching a Career in Art
Just as art is dynamic, Yamamoto’s inspirations and influences changed throughout the years. Initially, he sought to become a graphic designer because he enjoyed music, punk rock flyers, and album cover design. As a result, he enrolled in a community college graphic design program in Santa Barbara, but he soon discovered, as he describes, a “whole different aspect of graphic design that I wasn’t really into.”
Nevertheless, at the end of the program, he received an internship in the graphic design department of a reputable skateboard company. Around that same time, Yamamoto began creating his own art. He reflects on how he was influenced by many first-generation “lowbrow” artists, including Barry McGee and Mike Giant. He also later renewed his interest in manga and became a huge fan of Taiyō Matsumoto’s work.
Yamamoto has been a professional artist since 2007. While his creative journey may have begun in a basement with two windows and a low ceiling, Yamamoto says he nevertheless appreciated how the low rent enabled him to pursue what he wanted most: a career in art.
Perseverance and Optimism
As every artist inevitably faces challenges in their journey, Yamamoto had his fair share. Perhaps most prominent were his rejections from art galleries. During his time in San Francisco, Yamamoto was mainly limited to showing his work in coffee shops with only a few exhibitions. Nevertheless, he remained optimistic, saying he found joy in touring the city, viewing different shows, and meeting other artists.
Most importantly, Yamamoto refused to be deterred from his passion. Reflecting on how he was able to persevere, he mentions, “If this wasn’t something I really wanted to do, I think those rejections would have been enough for me to just give up and try something else.” Even so, he says he continued to have faith in himself. “I was like, I just have to find the right place to show the right people, which eventually happened.”
Breakthrough and JANM Exhibition
In May 2014, Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot magazine and Giant Robot Store, provided Yamamoto with his first opportunity to do a solo exhibition at Giant Robot’s GR2 Gallery in West Los Angeles. Since then, Yamamoto has continually held solo exhibitions there almost every year.
Most recently, he is one of the artists featured in the new exhibition Giant Robot Biennale 5 at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), on display from March 2 to January 5, 2025. The show commemorates the spirit of Giant Robot as an essential influence of Asian American alternative pop culture. As Yamamoto describes, Giant Robot is “not an empire, but it’s just this big cultural being.”
Currently, installations are Yamamoto’s preferred medium because they are culminations of everything he does. “It’s beyond just making paintings. It’s beyond making just sculptures,” he explains. “It’s like you can take up a space.” In fact, Yamamoto’s beautiful “Moonage Daydream” installation is currently on view at the Giant Robot exhibition at JANM.
It also illustrates his increasing commitment to sustainability. “I would like to be a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more purposeful for what I do,” he explains. “That’s why in the Giant Robot Biennale exhibition, I’ve started incorporating a lot of sustainable approaches to making art.” He adds, “Not just positive as in visually, I wanted to do positive within the practice and process of what I do.”
A More Nuanced Perspective
Even more, throughout the years, Yamamoto’s perspective of his artwork has changed. Initially, he says he was focused on incorporating traditional Japanese references, such as an appreciation for Edo period art. However, his approach to his work shifted when he began seeking nuanced ways to express Japanese culture instead of obvious symbols. “I realized since I’m Japanese, no matter what I do, there’s going to be evidence of that no matter what,” he remarks.
In fact, even Yamamoto’s style alludes to Japanese culture. When describing his tendency toward a neat approach, such as “sanding paper mâché to the point it's really smooth,” Yamamoto mentions, “I can see some of my roots or my personality or my upbringing from childhood is inserted into my artwork in that way.”
Even more, one of the striking aspects of Yamamoto’s art is its layered multicultural perspective. When characterizing Japanese culture as the “base,” Yamamoto explains how his experiences in the United States are “laid on top” or even “woven” into the base to add a deeper complexity to his artwork.
Reflecting on how much he has changed, he concludes, “I wasn’t trying so hard to convince people that I’m Japanese and living in the United States.”
Recurring Motifs and Layered Meanings
Furthermore, Yamamoto’s art embraces recurring motifs and symbols that contain deeper meanings. In his style of what he describes as “anthropomorphism,” the artist explains how his portrayal of inanimate objects is common and often found in manga culture, such as in the late Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump.
In fact, Yamamoto draws a comparison between the humanization of inanimate objects and traditional Japanese religion. “If you go back to Shintoism,” he explains, “they believed every object has a soul, so it does make sense to have these manga artists pull that because that is embedded in Japanese culture from deep, deep roots.”
In 2012, Yamamoto painted his first large scale mural in Los Angeles. In this mural, he depicted a beautiful starry night sky hovering above the watery ripples of an ocean and a peaceful, submerged head. However, Yamamoto’s art carries a deeper meaning beyond the peace and serenity his artwork evokes.
“[In] LA, we have such a bad situation with smog,” he explains. “So I was like, ‘Hey, I think it’ll be awesome if I painted a mural with a starry night, [so] the people get to see stars in city of LA.’” Beyond the beautiful view, he also sought to convey his message that the sky is “something we all share together.”
Moon and Sun Symbols
Another prominent symbol in Yamamoto’s art has been the moon. “For me, it represents something hopeful or constant within the negative dark space,” he says. In a world where it is easy to become lost and adrift, he mentions, “It’s a light that helps us or guides us to get back home or get to destinations or places that we are trying to go.”
However, perhaps one of Yamamoto’s most personal symbols is the sun. The Japanese character (kanji) for “yo” in his first name means “sun.” At first, Yoskay Yamamoto viewed his name as a “burden for a pale, skinny, shy kid to carry to be as bright as a sun.” However, his eventual use of the sun as a motif illustrates his acceptance of his name as he now serves as an illuminating light in others’ lives.
Creating Community Impact
In 2022, Yamamoto returned to Hilo, Hawaii, to fix one of his murals there that had been vandalized during the COVID-19 pandemic. As he was restoring his mural, Yamamoto was reminded of the community’s love for his artwork.
“All these kids are like, ‘Oh, thanks for fixing it, uncle!’, ‘Oh, it looks great!’, ‘We love it, thank you,’” he recalls. “People telling me, ‘Oh, thank you for fixing it so much. This is like my favorite mural in Hilo. I enjoy it every time I walk by.’”
Most importantly, Yamamoto began to realize that his art is deeply powerful. “What I left here five years ago,” he concludes, “actually meant something for the community and for the locals, for the kids.”
Looking toward the future, Yamamoto has become more focused on creating impact through his art. It has always been his goal to achieve artwork characterized by what he describes as a “serene, peaceful-like calmness.”
“I want to make something awesome that can also impact the community,” he explains. “If not the community, even just people around me, like my friends or my family.”
Advice for Aspiring Artists
Yamamoto serves as an inspiration, not just in the artistic world but also in the context of human challenge and triumph. As an artist who has immigrated to another country and emerged not only successful but also committed to giving back to the community, he has illustrated perseverance, compassion, and dedication to what one is most passionate about.
His advice to future, aspiring artists? “Be you. You’re awesome,” he says. “I know social media doesn’t really help to make you feel like you’re awesome all the time.” He adds, “Whatever you experience—hardship, happiness—nobody can take that away from you. So if you can find a medium, find a style, find an approach to put that out, then I think that becomes unique on its own.”
And most importantly, don’t forget to visit Giant Robot Biennale 5, on display at the Japanese American National Museum until January 5. You will be able to view the creations of this incredible artist and observe the nuanced complexities that he pours into his artwork.
Yamamoto reminds us of the importance of supporting artists who spend a lifetime crafting a skill that brings such beauty and joy to the world. After all, art has the power to convey the story of a personal journey. “You’re the only one that experienced your life in a unique way compared to any other individual,” Yamamoto says. “You have your own story.”
Interviewee’s quotes have been edited for clarity.
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Yoskay Yamamoto’s work will be on display at JANM in the Giant Robot Biennale 5 exhibition through January 5, 2025.
© 2024 Kayla Kamei
