Manila based visual artist , Atsuko Yamagata was born in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan. She is basically a self-taught artist. She moved to Tokyo to get into a university, and majored in Indonesian language and cultural study of South Eastern Asia. After taking Bachelors Degree, Yamagata’s interest had been directed to present her thoughts by painting, such as her experiences and feelings in other countries and cultures.