Yashima Ryoko

Born in Etajima, Hiroshima Prefecture, in 1993. After graduating from the Department of Spatial Design at Musashino Art University, she moved to Momoshima, a remote island in Onomichi City. Since then, she has created works based on the pain visualized in the human skin and her grandmother’s war and atomic bombing experiences. In 2019, she began working on the project Memento Momo, in which she raised, slaughtered, and ate a pig with her own hands. A process work that captures social structures from the relationship between humans and animals, and explores expression through a variety of methods such as video, photography, sculpture, installation, and text. In September 2024, her book Memento Momo was published by Genki Shobo. Since 2017, she has also been planning and managing the non-profit gallery ART BASE MOMOSHIMA. Her latest exhibition, entitled Under the Surface, was held in September 2025 at ANOMALY (Tokyo).

Reference Works : Ryoko Yashima, Memento Momo, 2019-2021. Installation view at ART BASE MOMOSHIMA, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist