"Leaf embroidery" (葉っぱ刺繍) turns a single leaf into a canvas and brings it to life with colorful threads. "Yukie@Leaf Embroidery Exhibition Vol. 2" (ゆきえ＠葉っぱ刺繍展 Vol.2), the second solo exhibition by Yukie (ゆきえ), who is the mother of leaf cut-paper artist Lito (リト) and an artist drawing attention in her own right, will be held from Saturday, November 7 to Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday) at Cross Patio Green Spot (クロス・パティオ グリーンスポット) in Yokohama Minatomirai.
Following the well-received first exhibition, this edition again presents 30 works that are being shown for the first time. In the bright space of Yokohama Minatomirai, visitors can enjoy a heartwarming time created by a mother and her son working side by side.
About the Artists
Yukie@Leaf Embroidery (ゆきえ＠葉っぱ刺繍)
Yukie is a leaf embroidery artist, born in 1958 in Tokyo. While living as a full-time homemaker, she went through a period of poor mental health. Her son, wanting to support her, encouraged her to start posting on Instagram, and she began doing so in 2019. After working with paper clay pieces and colored pencil drawings, she moved on to embroidery on leaves, the same medium her son uses. Through sharing on social media and her daily practice, she has since established her own style of expression.
- October 2019: Started posting on Instagram (paper clay pieces, colored pencil drawings, cut-paper art made from toilet paper tubes, and more)
- February 2021: Began posting embroidery of animals and characters
- June 2021: Started leaf embroidery, with more than 350 leaf embroidery works posted to date
Lito@Leaf Cut-Paper Art (リト＠葉っぱ切り絵)
Lito is a leaf cut-paper artist, born in 1986 in Kanagawa Prefecture. To turn the uneven concentration and strong attention to detail that come with his ADHD into a positive strength, he began creating on his own in 2020. His leaf cut-paper works, posted on social media almost every day, have drawn attention.
He has been introduced on TV programs and in newspapers in Japan, including Jonetsu Tairiku (情熱大陸, TBS), Tetsuko no Heya (徹子の部屋, TV Asahi) and Asaichi (あさイチ, NHK), and has also been covered with surprise by media around the world. His books, all published by Kodansha (講談社), include:
- いつでも君のそばにいる 小さなちいさな優しい世界
- 葉っぱ切り絵絵本 素敵な空が見えるよ、明日もきっと
- 葉っぱ切り絵いきものずかん
- ストーリー絵本『まねっこカメレオン』
Besides holding exhibitions across Japan, he saw the opening of his own museum, "LITO LEAF ART MUSEUM FUKUSHIMA", in 2024. In 2025, he took part in a creator collaboration, "Lito@Leaf Cut-Paper Art" (リト＠葉っぱ切り絵), at the Sumitomo Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
Lito's official website: https://lito-leafart.com
A Collaboration Born From the Bond Between Mother and Son
Every leaf used in the works was chosen by Lito himself and entrusted to his mother. The photographs of the works displayed in the venue were also all taken by Lito. The exhibition offers a deep world that is unique to a parent-and-child collaboration, where the delicacy of cut-paper art is joined by the warmth of embroidery.
Work title: 秋の葉が繋いだ出合い (An Encounter Brought About by Autumn Leaves)
Work title: 焦げ目の皮の部分が好き (I Like the Browned Skin Part)
Work title: 夢を運ぶ空飛ぶクジラ (The Flying Whale That Carries Dreams)
Work title: つないだ手の数だけ、木は大きくなる (The More Hands We Hold, the Bigger the Tree Grows)
What's on Display
- Yukie@Leaf Embroidery original works (30 pieces): Thirty works shown for the first time, expressing Yukie's own world
- Tribute to Lito@Leaf Cut-Paper Art (5 sets): A special series in which Yukie embroiders the messages found in Lito's cut-paper art, carrying them on through her own sensibility
- The path of the collaboration: The leaves chosen by Lito, Yukie's embroidery and Lito's photography come together, giving visitors a sense of the conversations between mother and son behind the scenes
Event Details
- Name: Yukie@Leaf Embroidery Exhibition Vol. 2 (ゆきえ＠葉っぱ刺繍展 Vol.2)
- Dates: Saturday, November 7 to Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday)
- Closed: Every Tuesday and Wednesday (except national holidays)
- Admission:
- Electronic ticket (advance purchase): General (junior high school students and older) ¥500 (tax included), elementary school students ¥200 (tax included)
- Same-day ticket: General (junior high school students and older) ¥600 (tax included), elementary school students ¥300 (tax included)
- Preschool children are free
- Electronic tickets: https://tahitianshop.net/?category_id=553641773bcba9430d0014ae
- Venue: Yokohama Minatomirai Cross Patio Green Spot (クロス・パティオ グリーンスポット)
- Address: 2-2-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0012
- Phone: 045-223-2621
- Cross Patio official website: https://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/cross-patio/
Details are subject to change without notice.
Access
- By train: 5-minute walk from the central ticket gate of Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line, or 10-minute walk from Sakuragicho Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line (JR Negishi Line) and the Yokohama Municipal Subway
- By car: 1 minute from the Minatomirai exit of the Metropolitan Expressway Yokohane Line. There is no dedicated parking lot, so please use nearby parking facilities.
Access details are also available on the Cross Patio website: https://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/cross-patio/access.php
