Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Yuriko Nishimura grew up and spent her youth in Hong Kong and United Kingdom. Nishimura studied Fine Art Foundation Course in Byam Shaw School of Art in London, then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, where she was first introduced to stone carving. Nishimura pursued her Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture at Arizona State University where she began her teaching. She has since taught in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, and exhibited her work in Santa Fe, New Mexico, including Evoke Contemporary, The Chimar Gallery and Center for Contemporary Art.