ABOUT
Yukimi Akiba is a self-taught artist based in Japan.
Her creative practice is a dialogue with the inner self—a process of self-discovery, growth, catharsis, and transformation that becomes a journey toward reclaiming her own agency. Like a spiral, her work unfolds in cycles, each turn deepening her connection to love, memory, and the stories embedded in the overlooked.
Between 2019 and 2021, she created “Creative ‘Self’ Destruction”, a raw and unflinching project of Polaroid self-portraits made in isolation. This deeply personal process became a lifeline, offering a form of therapy to navigate the pain of her past and the lingering effects of trauma—not to heal completely, but to glimpse a fragile sense of wholeness amid the fragments of her life.
In contrast, her 2021–2026 project, “Timeless Knot”, reimagines vintage Japanese postcards as vessels for nurturing love, rebuilding trust—in both the world and herself—and fostering new connections. Each stitch of thread weaves a transcendent dialogue between sitters, landscapes, and the unseen stories embedded in the images—transforming forgotten objects into vivid, living narratives.
Her works are held in private collections worldwide, and her series was featured in the touring exhibition TIME TRAVEL as part of the European Capital of Culture, including venues like local history museums and Mozart’s residence, where time and culture converge to celebrate the resonance of her vision.
EXHIBITION
2025
“ZEITREISE / TIME TRAVEL - photography between lived tradition and modernity”, as part of European Capital of Culture 2024, Curated by Yvonne Oswald, History Museum - Universalmuseums Joanneum in Graz, Austria / Jan 30 –May 18 2025
2024
“ZEITREISE / TIME TRAVEL - photography between lived tradition and modernity”, as part of European Capital of Culture 2024, Curated by Yvonne Oswald, Mozart Residence in Salzburg, Austria
“ZEITREISE / TIME TRAVEL - photography between lived tradition and modernity”, as part of European Capital of Culture 2024, Curated by Yvonne Oswald, Narzissendorf Zloam in Grundlsee, Austria
2023
Timeless Knot , The Griffin Museum of Photography (Online), MA USA
reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 Nominee (Conceptual / Professional), Dec 2025
1838 Awards Photographer of the Year 2024 Bronze (Conceptual/Non-professional), Dec 2024
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2020 Finalist, Feb 2020
Press/publication
Textile Plus (Printed issue) #276 : blikvangers (highlights), 2026
Photo Trouvée Magazine Issue 16 (Print & digital ) interview, Apr 2025
Time Travel catalogue published by International Mozarteum Foundation, May 2024
Flow Magazine 5 (Printed issue), Jun 2023
Lenscratch interview by Aline Smithson : Timeless Knot, Dec 2022
Paperbag Journal : PAPERBAG Issue No.14, Dec 2022
Better Photography magazine (Printed issue) interview by Nilofer Khan, "The Tale of a Grieving Heart",
Apr 2022 *Read article*
Apr 2022 *Read article*
Lenscratch interview by Galina Kurlat : "The Body as Unraveled", Nov 2021
The Jealous Curator : Art Delivery, Nov 2021
kwerfeldein interview by Katja Kemnitz : CREATIVE 'SELF' DESTRUCTION, Mar 2020
LensCulture : Exposure Awards 2020 Winners & Finalist, Feb 2020
Analog Forever Magazine Issue 2 (Printed issue) by Niniane Kelley, Aug 2020
UNCERTAIN MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 (ONLINE), Jun 2019
Analog Forever : Top 40 Analog Photographs of 2019, Dec 2019
MAUER Mag : Enigma, Aug 2019
UNCERTAIN MAGAZINE : My Secret Revenge, Jun 2019