Groves of ceramic fungi-like forms that sense and react to people nearby

In essence, she has created living beings from mud and wires for her new exhibition, Spore, at Cooler Gallery in Brooklyn, which launches today and runs until 27 April 2019. Walk close to any of her hanging pieces and they light up, illuminating the room.

"When I first stepped into the gallery's space, past the eight-inch thick door, into a box wrapped in beaten wood slats, I felt some sort of intimacy standing there under its ceiling stabbed with pipes," says Yuko. "It isolated me from the outside noise. I imagined some form of life that had kept living and growing quietly inside, consuming the moisture and the residue left behind in this repurposed industrial icebox. In this exhibition, I wanted to make these creatures visible."

Specialising in lighting, installation, sculpture, vessels and tableware, Yuko Nishikawa also runs a ceramic studio, Forest, and a monthly gathering of creative minds, Salon at Forest. Discover more at yukonishikawa.com.