Yuken Teruya (1973, Japan) is an artist based in New York. He works with various materials such as toilet paper rolls, paper shopping bags and butterfly chrysalises. His ideas often reflect life and history of Okinawa, his homeland. Simplicity and extravagance mingled in these works of surprising amplitude. Using only common paper objects and ambient light, Yuken Teruya created entire solar systems and life cycles. When cutting out portraits of trees he uses a photograph and strictly follows it. It becomes a life cycle from tree to paper to product and back to become a tree again. A holistic approach realted to Japanese tradition.
Mr. Teruya received his BFA from Tama Art University, Tokyo in 1996, and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York in 2001.

He has shown in several solo exhibitions at spaces including Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica; Dahlem Ethnological Museum/Asian Art Museum, Berlin; Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London; and The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo. His work was also featured in Paper at Saatchi Gallery, London (2013); the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012); Ties over Time: Japanese Artists and America at the US Ambassador’s House, Tokyo (2010); Hundred Stories about Love at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan (2009); The Shapes of Space at The Guggenheim, New York (2007); Greater New York 2005 at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Queens, NY; and in various other exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Asia.

His work is included in the public collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Guggenheim, New York; Flag Art Foundation, New York; The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; the Charles Saatchi Collection, London; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, among others.

Born 1973 in Okinawa, Japan. Lives i New York, USA.

EDUCATION
MFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, USA
 2001
Post Baccalaureate, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, USA
 1999
BFA, Tama Art University, Tokyo, Japan
 1996

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (IN SELECTION)
CUTTING TREES, SUGAR HILL MUSEUM, New York, NY 2019
Lost Found Yuken Teruya: Live Forever Art Foundation, Taichung 2018
Parade From Far Far Away,Yuken Teruya: Gallery Okinawa, Okinawa 2017
Monopoly, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK 2016
The Simple Truth, Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, USA 2015
On Okinawa: Dahlem Ethnological Museum/Asian Art Museum, Berlin, Germany 2014
New Work, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK 2013
+ PLANT/PLANT, Galerie Momogusa, Gifu prefecture, Japan 2013
Cut n’ Dry Vol.2, Capsule, Tokyo, Japan 2013
Yumiko Chiba Associates Booth, Hong Kong Art Basel, Hong Kong 2013
Area of Calm: Gallery Zero, Arts Maebashi, Maebashi, Japan 2013
Cut n’ Dry, Capusule, Tokyo, Japan 2012
Folded Reflections, Maki Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan 2012
Gallery Okinawa, Japan 2012
Journey, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Sante Monica, CA, USA 2011
Earn a Lot of Money, No Need Send Any Letter, Send Money Home First, Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, USA 2010
My Great Grandma is USA, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2010
Gallery Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan 2009
Murata & Friend Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2007
Free Fish, Asia Society, New York, USA 2007
Yuken Teruya and 3D News, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2007
Waterborne Island, Asahi Art Collaboration, Tokyo, Japan 2006
Straight Flavor, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan 2006
Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2005
FOREST INC., Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York, USA 2005
Diverse works, Houston, TX
Voges + Partner, Frankfurt, Germany 2004
Murata & Friends Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2004
Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR, USA 2003
Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2002
K.S. Art, New York, NY, USA 2002
The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Arts, Ridgefield, CT, USA 2002
Ann Gallery, Saitama, Japan 1995

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (IN SELECTION)
MEDIUMS OF EXCHANGE Group show, SHIRLEY FITERMAN ART CENTER
BMCC, New York, NY, 2019
12TH  SHANGHAI BIENNALE, PRO GRESS, 2018-2019
Yambaru Art, Okinawa, 2018 Okinawa, A Reunion with the Sea:Tealism as Modern Asian Thought, Okinawa Prefectural Museum / Art Museum.

TODAY IS THE DAY Exhibition for the 70th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, Art Gallery Miyauchi- Miyauchi Art Foundation, Hatsukaichi, Japan 2015
Take Me to the River – currents of the contemporary Dojima River Forum, Dojima River Biennale 2015: Osaka, Japan 2015
Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life, Hå gamle prestegard, Stavanger, Norway 2015
Social and art: post-war Okinawa Society and Art, Urasoe Art Museum, Urasoe, Japan 2015
Recent Acquisitions: A Selection 2013-2015, Arts Maebashi Gallery, Maebashi, Japan 2015
Revolt: Aesthetics of Dissent and Disgust, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 2015
AND, 601 Artspace, New York, NY, USA 2015
Go-Betweens: The World Seen Through Children, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (Travelled to Nagoya City Museum, Nagoya, Japan; Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, Okinawa, JP; The Museum of Art, Kochi, Kochi, JP) 2014
Forward Looking: Artists Rethinking The Future, Solent Showcase, Southampton Winter Show, Maki Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan 2014
Chronicle 1995: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan 2014
Hand Made Real Art: Hajimari Art Center, Fukushima, Japan 2014
Collection: Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan 2014
Asian Anarchy Alliance: Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan 2014
Tag-Ten: Matsumoto City Museum of Art, Nagano, Japan 2014
visions | for the world to come, Camp Talganie, Okinawa, JP
SITE: Place of Memories, Spaces with Potential, Hiroshima MOCA, Japan 2013
Something about a Tree, curated by Linda Yablonsky, The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, USA 2013
PAPER, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK 2013
Re:Quest – Japanese Contemporary Art since the 1970s, Seoul National University Museum, Korea 2013
Artists and the Disaster, Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower, Mito, Japan 2012
The First Cut, Manchester City Galleries, Manchester, UK 2012
Sky over My Head, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan 2012
Okinawa Art in New York, Nippon Club, New York
, USA 2012
Journey to the West, Lalit Kala Akademi gallery, New Delhi, India 2012
18th Biennale of Sydney, Australia 2012
No Other Medicine, NY Studio Gallery, New York
, USA 2012
Paperless, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC, USA 2012
Double Vision: Contemporary Art from Japan: Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia 2012
Double Vision: Contemporary Art from Japan: Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Haifa, Israel 2012
Okinawa/Taiwan, Maki Fine Art, Tokyo, Japan 2011
Secret Language of Flowers, Andipa Gallery, London, UK 2011
4th Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia 2011
Making Nature, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin, KE, USA 2011
Material / Immaterial, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2011
Forces of Nature, Danese Gallery, New York, USA 2011
The Tree, James Cohen Gallery, Shanghai, China 2011
Companion, efa project space, New York, USA 2010
Roppongi Crossing, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2010
Ties Over Time: Japanese Artists and America, House of the US Ambassador, Tokyo, Japan 2010
Making Nature, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin, Irland 2010
Popping Up, Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong Kong
 2010
Inaugural Show, Maki Fine Art, Tokyo, Japan 2010
The Book Borrowers: Contemporary Artists Transforming the Book, Bellevue Arts Museum, Seattle, WA, USA 2009

Migration and Expression, Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan 2009
Atomic Sunshine, Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum, Okinawa, Japa 2009
Hundred Stories about Love, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan 2009
Forces of Nature, Danese Gallery, New York
, USA 2009
The Tree, James Cohan Gallery, Shanghai, China 2009
WALL ROCKETS: Contemporary Artists and Ed Ruscha, curated by Lisa Dennison, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA 2009
Vested Interest, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, WI, USA 2008

Landscape: Lu-Lu-Lu, Shizuoka Prefectural Museum, Shizuoka, Japan 2008

Cut: Makings of Removal, Vincent Price Art Museum, Monterey Park, CA, USA 2008
Okinawa Montaged, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan 2008

Drawn in the clouds: Contemporary Asian Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland 2008

It’s Getting Hot in Here, Akus Gallery at Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT, USA 2008

Second Lives, Museum of Arts & Design, New York, USA 2008
Wall Rockets, curated by Lisa Dennison, The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, USA 2008

Into the Atomic Sunshine, Daikanyama Hillside Forum, Tokyo, Japan 2008
Transformed, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, VA, USA 2008
Art Scope, 2007/2008, Daimler Contemporay, Berlin, Germany 2008
When Lives Become Form: Dialogue with the Future – Brazil, Japan, Museum of Modern Art, San Paulo, Brazil 2008

It’s Getting Hot in Here, Montserrat College of Art Museum, New Beverly, MA, USA 2008

Into the Atomic Sunshine, Puffin Room, New York

, USA 2008
Attention to Detail, FLAG Art Foundation, New York
, USA 2007
Milk Crown and Mushroom Cloud, curated by Manabi Murata, David Castillo Gallery, New York, USA 2007
Un/Fair Trade, Neue Galerie Graz, Graz, Australia 2007
Art Scope 2007/2008, Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, Germany 2007

Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York, Japan Society, New York
, USA 2007
Super PHAT, presented jointly by SVA and the SVA Japan Alumni Association, New York
, USA 2007
The Shapes of Space, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA 2007
Thermocline of Art – New Asian Waves, ZKMI: Museum of Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany 2007
Asia-Pacific Triennial, Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia 2006

Crafty, Mass Art, Boston, MA
, USA 2006
Gardens, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Japan 2006
Rapt!, Object Gallery, Sydney and Gertrude Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne, Australia 2006
Bangladesh Biennial, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2006
Among the Trees, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ, USA 2006
Waterborn Islands, Asahi Art Collaboration, Japan 2006
The Altoids Curiously Strong Collection, Consolidated Works, Contemporary Drawing: Six Perspectives, Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, Old Westbury, NY
, USA 2005
The Acceptance World, Laura Bartlett Gallery, London, UK 2005

Lost and Found, Gallery Sowaka, Kyoto, JP
Yokohama International Triennial, Yokohama, Japan 2005
Knock, Gallery Sowaka, Kyoto, Japan 2005
Another Expo: Beyond the nation-state, White Box, New York, USA 2005

7th Annual Altoids Curiously Strong Collection, Luckman Gallery, California State University, L.A.,CA, USA 2005
Greater New York, P.S.1, Contemporary Art Center, Queens, NY, USA 2005

Material Matters, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 2005

Which way the tomorrow is?, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan 2005
A Stereoscopic Vision, Dumbo Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY
, USA 2004
Simply Drawn, Luxe Gallery, New York
, USA 2004
Fuchu Biennale, Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2004
Refrain; Korean, Balkan, Okinawa, Total Museum of Contemporary Arts, Seoul, Korea 2004
Newspapers, Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York
, USA 2004
Initial Encounters, Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy, NY, USA 2004
Knots ‘n’ Structure, Gallery Evan, NY
, USA 2004
Dessins et des autres, Galerie Anne De Villepoix, Paris, France 2004

Dessins et des autres, Galerie Catherine, Brussels, Belgium 2004

Intense Focus, Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR, USA 2004
Drawing Outloud, HDC Gallery, New York

, USA 2004
You-I You-I, Murata & Friends, Berlin, Germany 2003
Slab, University Gallery,Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA 2003

Hello Franklin, Im n Il Gallery, New York
, USA 2003
Okinawan Contemporary Art, Naha City Gallery, Okinawa, Japan 2003
White Meat & Sunlite, Wiensowski und Habord, Berlin, Germany 2003
Midnight’s Children, Columbia University, New York
, USA 2003
Selections Fall 2003, The Drawing Paper, New York, USA 2003

Better Homes and Gardens, Pennsylvania State University, PA
, USA 2003
Group Show, Vogas + Partner, Frankfurt, Germany 2003
Too Fresh, Nurture Art Gallery and Emerging Curator’s Resource Center, New York
, USA 2003
Group Show, Gallery Evan, New York, USA 2003

TERRARIUM, Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY

, USA 2003
VOCA: Vision of Contemporary Artists, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2002
Model World, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Arts, Ridgefield, CT, USA 2002
Art on Paper, Weatherspoon Art Museum, NC
Paper Cut, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY, USA 2002
Before and After, The Asian Art Initiative, Philadelphia, PA

, USA 2002
Humble, curated by Gerald McCarthy, Gallery Korea, New Yor
Plant Life, curated by Patrick Callery K.S. Art, New York
, USA 2001
Signature, Paper-bag and Self-Portrait, curated by Mihee Ahn, Im n Il Gallery, Brookyn, NY, USA 2001
Young Horses, curated by Andy Cannon, The Jam Factory, London
Hot Lunch, School of Visual Arts Soho Gallery, New York, USA 2001

Interior Landscapes, curated by Susan White and Marcia Godosky, Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Art Gallery, New York, USA 2001

Retro Future Present, Magnifik Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

, USA 2001
A-Mail, Hofer Galeriehaus, Hof, DE
MFA Special Exhibition, School of Visual Arts Soho Gallery, New York, USA 2000
A topic Site: On Camp Off Base, Tokyo Bigsite, Tokyo, JP
Vision of Contemporary Artists, Tokyo, Japan 1996
CHURA, Okinawa City Gallery, Okinawa, Japan 1995

AWARDS
Audience Award, Roppongi Crossing, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2010
Painters and Scupltors Grant Program Award, Joan Mitchell Foundation, NY, USA 2007
Artist in Residence Award, Art Scope Daimler Chrysler, Japan 2006
NYFA Fellowship for Sculpture; USA
2005
Vision of Contemporary Artists, Tokyo, Japan 
2002
Emerging Artist Award, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Arts, CT, USA 2002
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Fellowship, Skowhegan, ME, USA 2001

ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS
2011
“Paper Cutting, Contemporary Artists/Timeless Craft”, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
“Papercraft 2, Design and Art with Paper”, Gestaiten, Berlin, Germany.
Knight, Christopher. Los Angeles Times, “Art Review”, USA.

2010
Wilcox, Abby. “The Environmentally Conscious Artist: Yuken Teruya”,
Justin Timberlake Blog, May 2010.
Hung, Stephanie. “Inspiration Board: The are of paper”, Martha Stewart Blog, April 2010.
Krugman, Paul. “Green Economics”, The New York Times Magazine, April 2010.
Creamier, Phaidon and Trebbi, Jean-Charles.
“L’art de la decoupe”, Editions Alternatives, Paris, France.
“Green Economy”, The New York Times Magazine, New York, NY.

2009
Shipley, Jonathan, “Breaking Books Open”, CityArtsMagazine.com, March.

2008
Cheng, Scarlet, “Paper work? Bring it on”, Los Angeles Times, October 26.
Smith, Roberta, “Using Old Materials to Put A New Face on A Museum”, New York Times, September 26.

2007
Connor, Jill, “On Edge: The Sculpture Collection of Scott and Kelly Miller”,
Sculpture.org, November.
Rosenberg, Karen, “Willingly or Unwillingly, Calling New York Their Home”,The New York Times, November 9, 2007.
Lindbloom, Terri and Adcock, Craig, Running Around the Pool: Contemporary Drawing, Museum of Fine Arts, Florida State University, FL.
“Art Listings”, The New York Times, September 14, 2007.
“Art”, The New York Times, August 31, 2007.
Art in Review; “MICROWAVE FIVE”, The New York Times, August 24, 2007.
Talbot, Emily, “Yuken Teruya”, Time Out New York, March 15 – 21.

2006
Bischoff, Dan, “Exhibit Could Inspire Joyce Kilmer”, The Star-Ledger, May 5.
“Japanese Visionaries Unwrapped”, The Australian, August 25.
Johnson, Ken, “From carved creatures to Disneyland rugs”, Boston Sunday Globe, September 24.

2005
Esplund, Lance, “This is New York, But Only Part of It”, The Sun New York, March 17.
Scott, Andrea, “Local Heros”, Time Out New York, March 31 – April 7.
Andrews, Betsy, “Getting Ourselves Back to the Garden”, Gay City News, April 28- May 4.
Westcott, James, “Greater New York 2005
Yuken Teruya: A Tree Grows in a Shopping Bag”, Art Fairs International.
Abbe, Mary, “Curiously Fun Eclecticism”, Star Tribune, June 17.
Kimmelman, Michael, “Youth and the Market”, The New York Times.

2004
Mathonnet, Philippe, “Art | Basel, Bouquet D’images à Fleur D’émotions”, Le Temps, June 19.
Coulson, Amanda, “Yuken Teruya”, Art on Paper, November/December.
Klaasmeyer, Kelly, “Teruya’s Bag”, Houston Press, November 25.
Roeske, Sharon, “Diverseworks: Yuken Teruya, Notice Forest”, Arts Houston, December.

2002
Uehara, Kou, “Yuken Teruya”, Okinawa Times.
Smith, Roberta, “ARBORETUM”, New York Times, May 18.

2001
Currah, Mark, “Young Horses”, Time Out London.
Kalm, James, “RetroFururePresent at Magnifik”, NY Art Magazine, April.
Shimabukuro, Hiroshi, “Young Artists from NY”, OCS.

2000
Eggers, Dave, “Top Ten”, Art Forum, April.
Sziegoliet, Von Ralf, A-Mail aus New York, NY: Am Anfang war Hof.

COLLECTIONS


Guggenheim Museum, NY
The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, NY
Daiichi Seimei Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Seattle Art Museum, WA
Twigg-Smith Collection, HI
Altoids Collection, New Museum, NY
Norton Collection, NY
Charles Saatchi Collection, London, England
Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan
Okinawa
Prefectural Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan
Daiwa Press, Hiroshima, Japan
Flag Art Foundation, NY
Hoffman Collection, Berlin, Germany
Mori Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia
Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Takamatsu, Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan