Hikari Shimoda Uses Cuteness as an Artistic Tool

Hikari Shimoda’s paintings are clearly inspired by Japanese manga and anime. Centered around starry-eyed children, she dresses her characters in heroic costumes resembling Superman and magical girls, an anime sub-genre of young girls who use magic. But though undeniably kawaii (meaning cute), upon closer look her art is quite alarming – a mixture of horror and sweetness, through which she hopes to reveal the struggles of modern-day society.

“Many people are now familiar with kawaii or Japanese ‘cute,’” she explained in an interview with WOW x WOW. “I am interested in cuteness as an artistic tool. I deal with very serious and negative themes in my work. It takes a lot of bravery to face what scares us, or disgusts us, whatever is causing negativity in our lives.”

“I try to create a ‘universal language,’” she added. “Using a combination of motifs, I want my work to be understood based purely on the image itself, without looking at explanations or translations.”

Based in Nagano, Japan, Shimoda launched her career as a professional artist in 2008. Soon after, she was selected for her first solo exhibition at Motto Gallery in Tokyo and has since held exhibitions in galleries worldwide, including Japan, the United States, Canada, and Europe.

And judging by her Instagram page alone, the hype is justified.

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Dalmatian inspired🐶⚫️⚪️

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