Yuji Ueno

Yuji Ueno

PROFILE

Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1967; lives and works in Tokyo.
Ueno is a flower arranger and artist. He encountered Hiroshi Teshigawara’s avant-garde ikebana work in 1986, and decided to pursue the floral art. He started teaching Japanese-style flower arrangement in 2004. Ueno has since dedicated himself to imparting “what makes beautiful flower arrangement, what makes good flower arrangement,” while continuing his quest to discover things shared in common by ikebana and flower arrangement from other parts of the world. He has been putting on live performances of flower arrangement, which he refers to as hanaike, since 2005, and has also hosted “Flower Battles,” live performances in which contestants compete at flower arranging in front of an audience. His creative activities have extended to places such as Bali and Thailand, and to numerous collaborations with craftspeople and musicians. At KENPOKU ART 2016, he is attempting a new mode of expression that incorporates cutting-edge technology such as 3D printers, while still maintaining the essence of flower arrangement.