Yue Yamanaka was born in tokyo, japan.

Yue immigrated to Australia as a baby. Yue’s mother, Mami Yamanaka, completed her Masters in Fine Art shortly after arriving in Victoria and is an established artist. Yue’s family moved to Melbourne so Yue’s father, Adam Nash, could accept a job as a performance artist.

Growing up Yue was surrounded by beautiful artwork, frequently turning to drawing and animating as a remedy to the complicated life of an autistic Japanese Australian immigrant.

Yue’s work often explores the two cultures in which Yue lives and the differences and similarities they share. Yue also draws heavily on their relationship with Japanese pop culture.

As a child, one of the few tethers to their home country was ready-access to manga and anime sent to Yue by their Aunt Eri, helping to shape Yue’s aesthetic and thematic world.

Yue’s work explores the vulnerability inherent in being raised with only partial knowledge of a family's native tongue. As Yue continues to learn and practice Japanese, their work too reflects this process of relearning.