Hikari Shimoda's New Exhibit “The Catastrophe of Death and Regeneration,”

Posted by Justin D Williams

On Saturday, July 7th, Asahi Art Museum of Nagano, Japan is proud to premiere their first exhibition with Japanese-artist Hikari Shimoda featuring a major mid-career survey of her work.

 It was in 2008 when Shimoda set on the path to becoming a professional artist, and now ten years later, she is amongst the most widely recognized names of New Contemporary painters rising out of Japan. Entitled “The Catastrophe of Death and Regeneration,” the exhibition will take viewers on a journey through Shimoda’s narrative and artistic development spanning one decade of her work, including her most ambitious painting to date, a massive ten-foot mural.

“It’s been ten years since I chose my life as an artist. I started creating art to express the loneliness and despair I was feeling. Now my brushes paint human beings as a whole existence, beyond distinctions, such as race and gender. I also focus on creating work which reflects human society and its future,” Shimoda shares.

The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake changed the face of her work and her style underwent a visible transformation, which viewers can appreciate side-by-side with new works. Today, the artist recognizes sources of despair in different forms. On what inspires her, Shimoda shares: “Today we’re living in a world that is full of difficulties; wars, starvation, and poverty are real problems and there are many people suffering from mental disorders and social unrest not visible to others.”