Born in Tokyo in 1982, YupicA is a Japanese artist based in Mexico City whose practice explores contemporary spirituality within a global framework, drawing on his childhood experiences between rural and urban environments as a cornerstone of his creative vision. His work combines multimedia installations, resin, photography, sculpture, painting, projections, and moving images, all used to question traditional notions of identity, spirituality, and the life force that connects the visible and the invisible. YupicA employs distinctive techniques such as “arrozgraphy” (flat discs made of rice mixed with resin), multidimensional projections, and sculptural bodies animated through light and movement. In his recent solo exhibition Ki: Indeterminate Potentiality (2024) at Galería Hilario Galguera in Mexico City, he explored the Japanese concept of ki (vital energy) through works that fluctuate, split, and reform, inviting viewers to contemplate how the ephemeral, the biomorphic, and the spiritual become matter. His pieces range from the miniature to the immersive: small objects, resin works, projection-based installations, medium-scale sculptures, and interventions that occupy public space. His technique can involve hundreds or thousands of rice discs, pigments, resin, light, and color to materialize the interconnectedness he perceives between humans, nature, and technology. YupicA has exhibited at important venues such as Galería Hilario Galguera (Mexico City) and has participated in international shows. His practice poses subtle yet profound questions about identity, spirituality, and the vitality that permeates all things: in his work, the organic and the everyday enter into dialogue with the ritual, matter becomes a symbolic vehicle, and the invisible —spirit, energy— ultimately defines form, texture, and presence.

In Japan, there is an ancient tradition of honoring ancestors through a family altar. According to this custom, it is believed that the spirits of ancestors protect the family. For me, the concept of “ancestor” is not limited to a few generations, as it ranges from the ancestors of great-grandparents to those who existed before acquiring the essence and characteristics typical of modern humans. Thus, if we go back further and further, we arrive at the beginning of “an indeterminate potentiality” that has not taken shape as a material entity and can manifest itself in any possible way. The altar is the mystical expression of life that moves freely, repeats the flow of energy, and generates unknown creations. En Japón existe una antigua tradición para honrar a los ancestros por medio de un altar familiar. Según esta costumbre se cree que el espíritu de los antepasados protege a la familia. Para mí el concepto de “ancestro” no se limita a pocas generaciones, ya que abarca desde los antecesores de los bisabuelos hasta aquellos que existieron antes de adquirir la esencia y características típicas del ser humano actual, así pues, si retrocedemos más y más, llegamos al inicio de “una potencialidad indeterminada” que no ha adquirido forma como entidad material y que puede manifestarse de cualquier modo posible. El altar es la expresión mística de la vida que se mueve libremente, repite el flujo energético y genera creaciones desconocidas.