Osaka-based artist to showcase unique style

Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi will spend six weeks wowing East Pilbara residents with his grand installations.

As the winner of the 2015 Art at the Heart residency, the Osaka-based artist will run a series of workshops with local communities, while also creating his own unique piece for the region.

Famous for using simple materials - hot glue, rope, plastic sheeting, and wire - Mr Onishi creates installations that visually explore space on a grand scale.

"I'm interested in invisible things like air or time or gravity, or some kind of phenomenon," he said.

"I create sculpture that visualises negative space, which is typically referred to as blank margin or hollow space."

Now in its second year, the annual Art at the Heart residency is part of a four-year program by the Shire of East Pilbara to celebrate and develop art and culture in the region.

One of the richest competitions of its kind, it includes a $40,000 budget to create an artwork as well as a $15,000 prize for the winning artist.

Mr Onishi is the first international artist to win the Art at the Heart prize.

He has also been a recipient of a United States-Japan Foundation Fellowship, which included a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2010. He has since undertaken residencies in India, Sweden and Portugal.