Seamless Paper to Installations
February 20 - March 13, 2026
Corner Gallery
University of Virginia School of Architecture
Charlottesville, VA
This exhibition recreates my Brooklyn studio where I make sculptures and installations from waste seamless paper I process into pulp and then a clay-like substance. My studio has changed with my evolving practice from a ceramic studio to an installation study space. I suspend sculptures from wall-to-wall overhead hanging cables while constructing them, studying forms, and making mockup installations.
Consisting of 26 mobiles from my projects since 2021, this installation combines fresh greens, crisp yellows, and juicy oranges into an appetizing mix to refresh the senses. The color elements bounce and turn while balanced by wires, responding to the changing air currents created by the movement of people through the space.
Initially, I made hanging sculptures with hollow ceramic spheres as a background for a dance performance. To add more elements to lightweight structures which reach wider horizontal spans, I began experimenting with other materials. I looked for materials which convey a sense of movement and lightness, like something floating in the air or water. I also looked for unfragile materials that are easier to install, pack, and ship.
I make the clay material by processing used photographers’ background paper. This method retains the colors of the original paper, producing saturated colors in the final artwork. It makes a variety of textures and colors when paper pulps are combined at different stages. It makes malleable materials when wet, durable and light-weight pods when dry, and sculptures that turn with the breeze.
Exhibition Notes
UVA School of Architecture invites Yuko Nishikawa to participate in Leftovers: Rethinking Waste in Design, their Spring 2026 Public Programs and Exhibitions Series focusing on sustainability, creative reuse, and ethical making in design.
Images of Nishikawa’s studio cover the two corner walls. Mobiles and study pieces hang from the ceiling. On the workbench are paper clay and wire assemblies which students are welcome to touch and feel their materialities. In a complementary workshop: Paper to Sculpture to Paper, Nishikawa talks about why she chooses paper as a sculpture medium and demonstrates paper processing methods. Students will practice making pulp, clay, and sculptural forms from waste paper.
Yuko Nishikawa: Seamless Paper to Installations
February 20–March 13, 2026
Corner Gallery, University of Virginia School of Architecture
Charlottesville, VA
Public hours: Mon–Fri 7 am–7:30 pm
No appointment is required