Ayami Aoyama
Sculptor
Departing Soul
Ayami Aoyama, Orange Calcite, 7 x 9 x 19
Fairy Rabbit
Ayami Aoyama, Pink Onyx, 25 x 6 x 5
Water Crystal
Ayami Aoyama, French Blue Granite, 38 x 43 x 15
Black Bird
Ayami Aoyama, Belgium Black Marble with Bronze Base, 39 x 11 x 10
Madonna
Ayami Aoyama, Italian Statue Marble with Bronze Base, 72 x 24 x 48
STATEMENT
My art is born from nature. I am on a quest to make stone spiritually alive through traditional craftsmanship, engaging in a tactile dialogue of cutting, splitting, grinding, sanding, and polishing. I discover and reveal in the history of each piece, exploring its unique character until its inner essence emerges. As we navigate an increasingly digital and AI-driven world, I believe the deeply human value of art lies in its imperfections. My sculptures are a celebration of ambiguous, organic processes and physical labor—things not designed by mere logic or a programmed brain. This deliberate embrace of the human touch is what I consider to be our most precious offering in the near future.
BIOGRAPHY
Aoyama began her career as a painter in Japan. Travel opened her eyes to the world especially on a trip to Italy in 1995 when she encountered Renaissance art. The beauty and endurance of experiencing such magnificent works had a profound effect on her. She began her move into sculpture the following year in New York City and became deeply interested in the work and artistic philosophy of Isamu Noguchi.
Ayami Aoyama holds a B.F.A. in painting from the Aichi Prefectural University in Aichi, Japan. She studied sculpture at the Sculpture Center School, New York, the Craft Student League, New York, The Arts Students League of New York, the Lacoste School of the Arts, Lacoste, France, and the Johnson Atelier Stone Division, Mercerville, New Jersey.
She currently works for the internationally renowned artist Jeff Koons as the stone finishing supervisor at Antiquity Stone LLC. She continues to work on her own sculpture and painting in her home studio in Hopewell, New Jersey, USA. Ayami lives with her husband, artist Rory Mahon.
STATEMENT
Using stone as my medium for my art has given me many appreciations of its unique character. The creative process of primitive hand carving allows me to feel the time of reality and accumulating sounds. I have a background of solid painting and drawing which I was educated for in my home country of Japan, but nothing came close to creating something so real with my own hands. It is the simplicity of taking time and physical energy. The accumulation of my hard labor records itself onto the history of the stone which makes its character. It sparkles. Such conversations take me to get in touch with the nature in my core.
I have had installations of stone sculptures for the past twenty years indoors and outdoor at our studio. The appreciation of stone sculptures expands with the natural environment within that installation.
Such a view I can have through my art is what I am seeking for and yearning for.
BIOGRAPHY
Ayami Aoyama graduated from Aichi Prefecture University of Fine Arts and Music in Japan with a bachelor of Fine Arts in 1993. Her original artistic discipline was oil painting, but she made the switch to sculpture when she moved to New York where she first took stone carving at the Art Students League. In 1998 Ayami moved to New Jersey for an apprenticeship program at the Johnson Atelier Stone Division in New Jersey. She was then hired as a full time Art Instructor/Sculptor in 2001. She assisted many artists with projects. Ayami has exhibited in a number of group shows and solo exhibitions. In spring 2010 she installed seven large scale stone sculptures for a solo outdoor exhibition at The James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. In 2016 Ayami exhibited a definitive collection of her works from past decade as well as several new large works. Titled “Silence”, this solo exhibition was held at the Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. She currently works for the internationally renowned artist Jeff Koons as the stone finishing supervisor at Antiquity Stone LLC. She continues to work on her own sculptures in her home studio in Hopewell, New Jersey.