The Sensual Fusion of Nature and Myth

Yoko Kubrick's art explores the connections between nature, mythology, and universal beauty. Growing up in Czechoslovakia, Guam, and Hawaii, Kubrick was immersed in diverse cultures with rich sculptural traditions. These experiences shaped her lifelong passion for creating sculptures that convey timeless stories and forms.

Her work, driven by a passion for harmony and the transformative power of beauty, focuses on traditional materials like marble and bronze. Kubrick’s sculptures invite viewers to explore how certain forms and symbols influence human perception, revealing the universal meaning that transcends cultural boundaries.

Artist Statement

My work examines the ways nature’s forms influence human perception, combining the raw beauty of flowers, curves, and landscapes with the stories and archetypes found in classical and comparative mythology. I am fascinated by how we perceive beauty, and how universal aesthetics and shared imagery can transcend cultures. The collective unconscious, filled with common symbols and archetypes, plays a quiet but essential role in shaping our understanding of beauty, as certain forms and patterns are universally recognized. Inspired by avant-garde sculptors like Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, Barbara Hepworth, Isamu Noguchi, and the painter Georgia O’Keeffe, I similarly seek to capture emotion and meaning through abstract forms, gently revealing the connection between nature, myth, and the human experience.

About Yoko Kubrick

Yoko Kubrick, a Japanese-American sculptor based in California, crafts abstract sculptures that fuse nature’s organic forms with classical mythology. Her mixed ethnicity, half Japanese and half Czech, influences her work, drawing inspiration from the fluid elegance of Czech Art Nouveau and the refined simplicity of the Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock print style. Through these forms she explores universal themes through the fusion of Eastern and Western artistic traditions.

Her childhood in Guam and Czechoslovakia sparked an early fascination with mythology and sculptural traditions. As the first American-born in her family, Kubrick weaves her Japanese and Czech heritage into her art, creating pieces that reflect a cross-cultural perspective.

Working with marble, natural stones, and bronze, Kubrick honors the earth by grounding her sculptures in these enduring materials. Her B.A. in Environmental Studies and M.A. in Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy enrich her artistic approach, allowing her to explore the symbolic power of art through the lens of archetypes found in both human psychology and mythology. These universal patterns, deeply embedded in our collective consciousness, inform her work, creating sculptures that resonate on a primal level, connecting viewers to the timeless stories and symbols that shape human perception and experience.

Kubrick’s artistic path was shaped by traditional atelier apprenticeships. Her sculptures have been featured in well-respected publications and exhibitions and can be found in public spaces and private collections worldwide.