Yoichi Kamimura

>CV(En) PDF Download  >CV(Jp) PDF Download

1982 Born in Chiba, Japan
2008 Graduated from Department of Oil Painting,
  Tokyo University of the Arts
2010 Completed MA of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts
   
  Works both within and outside Japan


Drawing chiefly upon his field recordings, Kamimura experiments with methods that draw upon sight, hearing, and other senses to perceive different scenes. His extensive body of work includes sound installations, paintings, video works, sound performances, and audio works - unveiled in venues both within Japan and abroad.

Kamimura refers to the field-recording process as an act of "meditative hunting" - in the process, he acts an observer to the amorphous relationship between humankind and nature. Kamimura composes his sound installations by creating highly-immersive “sound-scapes,” many of which draw upon our own biology to create unique sensory experiences.

Recent major exhibitions and projects include "Waterforest" (hakari contemporary, Kyoto), "Awasi Art Week by LABVERDE2 (Awasi Iguazú, Iguazú, 2024), "LABVERDE Speculative Ecologies Residency 2023" (Manaus, 2023), "The View of Hanui"(Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea, 2023), "SIM Residency"(SIM Residency, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2022), "From Seeing to Acting" (Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam, 2021), and "Michikusa: Walks with the Unknown" (Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Mito, 2020).

As for music releases, Kamimura released the collaborative album Therme Vals (Vertical Music, Berlin, 2023) with France Jobin. In July 2025, he is set to release ryūhyō, a field recording album composed entirely of environmental sounds of drift ice in Shiretoko collected over a six-year period, through the Berlin-based label forms of minutiae. In September of the same year, he will release Kōri no ryokō / Jäämatkailu, a collaborative ambient music album with Finnish artist Olli Aarni, through the Slovakian label Mappa.

Kamimura was awarded "the Sound of the Year Awards" in London for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024. In the same year, he received the Special Jury Prize at "Phonurgia Nova 2023" in Paris.


Solo Exhibitions

2025 "Waterforest" Hakari contemporay, Kyoto
2024 "Aquatic Garden" iti SETOUCHI, Hiroshima
  "Here and Gaza" WHITE HOUSE, Tokyo (Secret Exhibition WH-031)
2023 "Mori to Kōri no Uta" LA BOULANGERIE!, Paris, France
2022 "awai" Tokyo Arts and Space Hongo, Tokyo
2021 "Floating Between the Tropical and Glacial Zones" Tokyo Arts
   and Space Hongo, Tokyo
2019 "Hyperthermia" NTT InterCommunication Center, Tokyo
  "Temporary Ground" MARUIEDO JAPAN, Tokyo
2015 "grandmother, prologue" Space Wunderkammer, Tokyo
2011 "CRITERIUM82" Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki
2010 "conductor’s garden" Omote Sando Gallery, Tokyo


Selected Group Exhibitions / Projects / Artist In Residence

2024 "Picnic at Music Hall" Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, Kanagawa
  "Awasi Art week by LABVERDE" [A.I.R] Awasi Iguazú, Iguazú, Argentina
  "Parallel Streams" [A.I.R] Van Gogh House, London, U.K
  "Drift Ice" [A.I.R] Shari, Hokkaido
2023 "O Eco Das Sombras" Canteiro, São Paulo, Brazil
  "This is Not a Drill" New York University Libraries, New York, USA
  "The View of Hanui" Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea
  "FONTE" [A.I.R] Fonte, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  "LABVERDE SPECULATIVE ECOLOGIES RESIDENCY 2023" [A.I.R] Manaus, Brazil
  "Ryhyo-Nari" [A.I.R] Shari, Hokkaido
  "Remnants of yesterday, Signs of tomorrow" Sapporo Art Museum, Sapporo
  "Jæja" SIM Residency, Reykjavik, Iceland
2022 "Frosty December Book Fair at Duotone!" Duotone, Helsinki, Finland
  "4 timar" SIM Residency Korpulfsstadir, Reykjavik, Iceland
  "SIM Residency" [A.I.R] SIM Residency, Reykjavik, Iceland
  "Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa" SRR Project Space, Tokyo
  "From a Dusky Canal to the Pale Blue Sky - TOKAS Creator-in-Residence 2022 Exhibition"
   Tokyo Arts andSpace Hongo, Tokyo
  "LA RADIO DU VIVANT" National Museum of Natural History (Paris),Paris, France
2021 "HIAP Open Studios / Autumn 2021" HIAP(Helsinki
   International Artist Programme), Helsinki, Finland
  "Mutable Ecologie" RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia [Online]  
  "From Seeing to Acting" Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  "Exchange Residency Program 2021" [A.I.R] HIAP(Helsinki
   International Artist Programme), Helsinki, Finland
  "Land and Beyond" POLA ANNEX MUSEUM, Tokyo
  "Youth(Temporary)" Yutaka Kikutake gallery, Tokyo
  "Memory of the Drift Ice" Shiretoko Club, Hokkaido
  "Collision point on dimensions" The 5th Floor, Tokyo
2020 "Sapporo International Art Festival 2020" Sapporo, Hokkaido
  "sori ni hikarete" Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido
  "CONNECT" The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto/ Kyoto City
   KYOCERA Museum of Art/ ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Kyoto
  "Michikusa: Walks with the Unknown" Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki
  "Wasteland Allelopathy" MITSUKOSHI CONTEMPORARY GALLERY, Tokyo
  "Dark Independent" Online Site
  "Artist in Shirietok Vol.14" [A.I.R] Shiretoko Club, Shari, Hokkaido
2019 "0℃" NTT InterCommunication Center, Tokyo
  "The Drowned World Anchor" Spiral, Tokyo
  "Artist in Shirietok Vol.13" [A.I.R] Shiretoko Club, Shari, Hokkaido
  "Kagaku into Art" [A.I.R] Teshio / Shari, Hokkaido
2018 "Sound Research in NY" [A.I.R] New York, USA
  "trans_2017-2018 Exchange Artists Exhibition" [A.I.R] Akiyoshidai
   International Art Village, Yamaguchi
2017 "2017 Season 4 Residency Artists Exhibition" [A.I.R] Taipei Artist
   Village, Taipei, Taiwan
  "Sound of Therme Vals" [A.I.R] Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland
  "Sound of Wasserhaus" [A.I.R] Blausee, Switzerland
  "Super Open Studio 2017" Art Laboratory Hashimoto, Kanagawa
2016 "LagoArt Residency Program" [A.I.R], Hamburg, Germany
  "Ubiquitous Views" [A.I.R] Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, Aomori
  "0℃" blanClass, Kanagawa
2014 "Identity X―fusion of memory, memory for the future" nichido
   contemporary art, Tokyo
2012 "Age of Prints" JOSHIBI Art Museum, Tokyo
  "TRANS ARTS TOKYO" Fomer Tokyo Denki University, Tokyo
  "KOSHIKI ARTS PROJECT" [A.I.R] Koshiki Islands, Kagoshima
2011 "G-Tokyo 2011" Mori Arts Center, Tokyo
  "power of painting" 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo
2010 "Mado/WIND-OW" MA 2 Gallery, Tokyo
  "Hints for The Story" GALLERY MoMo Ryogoku, Tokyo
  "MA graduation show" Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo


Selected Sound Performances / Screenings / Broadcasts

2025 "Hibiya Art Park2025" Hibiya Park, Tokyo
  "MIMINOIMI Food For Ears − vol.10" Polaris, Tokyo
  "CITY SPACE" Cine´ Lumie`re, London, U.K
2024 "Sound Performance" Awasi Iguazú, Iguazú, Argentina
  "Sound Performance" Canteiro, São Paulo, Brazil
  "COSMOSONICA" Pivô, São Paulo, Brazil
  "Drift Ice on the River Thames" Japan House London, London, U.K
  "Ice Meditation" CONTRAST, Tokyo
2023 "Sounds of 2023 - BBC Radio 3 Late Junction" [Broadcasts] BBC Radio, London, U.K
  "Ambient Temperature" POLARIS Tokyo, Tokyo
  "Sound Performance @TABF 2023" Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo
  "Phonurgia Nova Awards 2023" [Screening] Centre Wallonie Bruxelles Paris, France
  "Sound Concert Tour with Olli Aarni in Finland" Porvoo / Helsinki, Finland
  "Floating Between the Tropical and Glacial Zones" Canteiro, São Paulo, Brazil
  "Floating Between the Tropical and Glacial Zones" Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, Brazil
  "Music and Non-humans" KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, Hukuoka
  "Floating Environment" SCARTS, Sapporo, Hokkaido
  "CHILLSPHERE" 12 Tonar, Reykjavik, Iceland
2022 "Ambient November" Space Odyssey, Reykjavik, Iceland
2021 "Planéte Hypnotique" [Broadcasts] France
  "Yoichi Kamimura & Olli Aarni at Temppeliaukion kirkko"
   Temppeliaukio Rock Church, Helsinki, Finalnd
  "PHONURGIA NOVA AWARDS 2021 2 Special evenings" [Broadcasts]
   Phaune Radio, [Broadcasts] France
  "Phonurgia Nova Awards 2021" [Screening] Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris, France
  "Ecotherapy" Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2020 "Music for Environment" Plaza, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki
  "Phonurgia Nova Awards 2020" [Screening] BnF, Paris, France
  "sound performance at ICC" NTT InterCommunication Center, Tokyo
  "Things happening around the ice" Shiretoko Club, Shari, Hokkaido
2019 "Ftarri Festival 2019" BUoY, Tokyo
  "re/ports" Komagome SOKO, Tokyo
  "Talibam! in Ftarri" Ftarri, Tokyo
2018 "Sound Session with Matt Mottel(from Talibam!)" DIAP, City College of
   New York, New York, USA
  "Sound Performance" Arts Maebashi, Gunma
  "0°C" PARADISE AIR, Chiba
2017 "Ilha Formosa" Ting Shuo hear say, Tainan/ Jiang Shan Yi Gai Suo,
   Hsinchu/ Venue, Taipei, Taiwan
  "Super Open Studio 2017" Art Laboratory Hashimoto, Kanagawa
  "Blue Architects AG" Zurich, Switzerland
  "Wasserhaus" Blausee, Switzerland
2016 "Nord Tracks" Shiroiya Ryokan, Gunma/ Kurumaya Museum of Art,
   Tochigi/ CICAKU, Tochigi/ Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, Aomori
  "World Listening Day 2016" Schneider House, Tokyo
  "0°C" blanClass, Kanagawa
   "NEW YEAR MUSIC, MONKEY MUSIC!!" blanClass, Kanagawa
2015 "collision" Ochiai Soup, Tokyo
  "collision" Hagiso, Tokyo


Selected Awards / Nominates

2024 Awarded "Sound of the Year Awards 2023 - Best Natural Sound category", London, U.K
2023 Awarded "Phonurgia Nova mention 2023, category Field Recording", Paris, France
  Awarded "Sound of the Year Awards 2022 - Disappearing Sound category", London, U.K
2022 Awarded "the Prix Matsutani 2021", Paris, France
2021 Nominated for "Phonurgia Nova Awards 2021", Paris, France
  "SELECTION ARS ACUSTICA EBU", from the European Broadcasting Union, Paris, France
  Awarded "19th Chiba City Arts and Culture Newcomer Award", Chiba, Japan
2020 Nominated for "Phonurgia Nova Awards 2020", Paris, France


Selected Interviews / Essays / Reviews

2024 "Sound Of The Year Awards 2023: Yoichi Kamimura" Interview on Electronic Sound (En)
2023 "Melting and muted: the vanishing drift ice off Japan’s Shiretoko peninsula"
   Directed by Colleen Kwok, SCMP FILMS (En)
2022 "Artist Interview, TOKAS 2021 Annual" Interview by Tokyo Arts and Space (Jp/En)
2021 "Imagining Distant Ecologies in Hypersonic Tokyo" Review of
   "Floating Between the Tropical and Glacial Zones" by Akimi Ota (En)
2020 "Okhotsk Sea, Where Children Can No Longer Play" Essay by Henri Robert (Pen-Online) (En)
2016 "Listening to the self through artificial landscape: The field recordings of KAMIMURA Yoichi"
   Essay by Tomotaro Kaneko (Jp/En)
2011 "The tone of chaos, the sound of an omen" Essay of "CRITERIUM82" by Mizuki Takahashi (Jp/En)


Publications

2025 Album(Vinyl/Digital): "ryūhyō" forms of minutiae, Berlin
2024 Album(3xCD/Digital)+Booklet(A5/PDF): "harkening critters" forms of minutiae, Berlin
2023 Album(Cassette/Digital): "Therme Vals" Vertical Music, Berlin
  Album(Digital): "Skafa" Artist’s Bandcamp
2022 Album(Digital): "April 30, 2022/15.5℃/46%/6.4.ms" Artist’s Bandcamp
  Drawing Book: "Pelagos 2021-2022" (Jp/En)
2021 Book: Tokyo Arts and Space Annual Report 2021
2020 Catalog: SIAF2020 INDEX "Sapporo International Art Festival 2020" SIAF2020 (Jp/En)
  Catalog: Group Exhibition "Michikusa: Walks with the Unknown"
  Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito (Jp/En)
  Catalog: SIAF2020 INDEX "Sapporo International Art Festival 2020" SIAF2020 (Jp/En)
  Magazine: WIRED VOL.36 (Jp)
2019 Album(CD/Digital): "re/ports" Ftarri, Tokyo
2016 Catalog: Group Exhibition "Ubiquitous Views"Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, Aomori (Jp/En)
2011 Catalog: Solo Exhibition “CRITERIUM82" Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito (Jp/En)