Many people have wondered why this site is called Yoneko. It is my middle name. It's also my grandma's name on my japanese side of the family. Upon my question what does Yoneko mean, my father once answered "Rice Child". That kind of stuck to me. I don't really think you can translate names like that but on the other hand, some great native american indians go by great names such as Big Chief, Big Bear, Wounded Knee why not go with Rice Child? Clearly knowing though, I could never in 100 lives fill any footsteps of such grandeur.

I was born in Santa Monica, California, where I lived during my early childhood years. My family moved to Schaffhausen, Switzerland, later on, a small town one hour North of Zürich, bordering the beautiful Rhine river and Germany. I spent my teenage years there, with annual travels back to California to visit friends and family. After high school, I studied Asian studies at the University of Zürich but soon realized that I wanted to major in the arts. A graphic design study followed with a graduate degree in typography at the Schule für Medien, Form und Farbe, Zürich. In the mean time, I would visit frequently my sister, Sabine, stationed in San Francisco. It was during these visits where I felt the necessity to break out of the design world and make art. Immigration was a necessity to make that happen. I moved to Chicago where I share a studio with Nick Butcher. Together we enjoy the rich printing culture that Chicago has and our ever inspiring friends that share our belief that there is some value in working away making art. We have a small silkscreen-press, on which we hope to be printing numerous books and other art prints under our joint venture, Sonnenzimmer.

Remains of the day? Support your local artist!