Mika Shinagawa "Day and Night"

OIL by Bijutsutecho Gallery

Finished

Artists

Mika Shinagawa

Mika Shinagawa was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1988, completed her MFA at Kyoto University of Art and Design (now Kyoto University of Art and Design) in 2016, and has exhibited her work in Kansai and elsewhere in Japan. She depicts mental landscapes through the composition of vivid color surfaces, decorative expressions of plants, and the figure of a child, which is Shinagawa's signature motif.

The starting point of Shinagawa's work is the original landscapes in her memory. Shinagawa says that she creates her paintings as if making a collage of the landscapes and thoughts that emerge from her life. The motif of the child is the base of these feelings, an innocent existence that connects the miscellaneous reality and the unreality of dreams. The painted children are anonymous, yet have a strong presence, and an infinite universe shines in their eyes.

"Daytime," a large work measuring five meters wide and set against the backdrop of Mount Unzen Fugendake, a scene from Shinagawa's childhood home, expresses the awe of nature and the fragile yet powerful life. Shinagawa's recent experiences of pregnancy and childbirth have also made her aware of the continuous history of life and the connection between the big world and her small self. While referencing art history and classical art, Mika Shinagawa's work evokes a sense of intimacy.

Schedule

Dec 2 (Fri) 2022-Dec 26 (Mon) 2022