Biography
Uchikoba Eiko is a Japanese printmaker who works in intaglio, creating prints that engage with themes of perception and attentiveness. Her practice draws on the incised plate and the press to build images of subtle tonal gradation, exploring the expressive potential of the printed surface.
In 2023, Uchikoba received an Excellence Prize at the Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition for her print "Strain One's Ears," a drypoint printed in the intaglio manner. The title evokes a state of heightened listening -- the physical and mental act of focusing one's attention on subtle sounds -- suggesting an artistic practice attuned to the quieter frequencies of sensory experience. One juror praised the work as exemplifying the medium's wide range of tonalities, invoking a fantastic contrast of light and shadow.
The Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition is organized by the Awagami Factory, one of Japan's most distinguished producers of handmade washi paper, and is among the leading international showcases for the miniature print format. The Excellence Prize is one of the exhibition's most prestigious awards, given to five works of outstanding quality from the entire field of entries. Uchikoba's selection from among 1,587 prints submitted by more than 1,000 artists confirms her technical accomplishment and artistic vision within the demanding miniature print format.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇯🇵Japan
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Abstract
- Works Indexed
- 1
Frequently Asked Questions
Uchikoba Eiko is a Japanese printmaker who works in intaglio, creating prints that engage with themes of perception and attentiveness. Her practice draws on the incised plate and the press to build images of subtle tonal gradation, exploring the expressive potential of the printed surface.
Uchikoba Eiko's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Uchikoba Eiko's prints frequently feature abstract.