ARTIST STATEMENT
Shiho Kono is an artist who expresses the struggles, misalignments, and suppressed emotions of individuals trying to accustom themselves to the complexities of modern society. Kono’s work is hypersensitive, scattered, and fickle, constantly oscillating between intense emotion and composure. Amidst the fluctuations of her manic-depressive wise states, they incorporate an enormous amount of visual information onto the canvas.
As a digital native, Kono perceives the information overload of modern society as violent and one-sided. Through her work, Kono gradually exposes the hidden aspects of our vulnerability, both personal and social, that we wish to conceal.
Like the howling sound from a microphone, the gathered information and images are amplified repeatedly, eventually culminating in works that are poignant and intense. The artist often expresses a desire to create “skilled/good paintings.” However, Kono’s works are far from conventional “good”; instead, they exude a bizarre and insane quality.
Despite Kono’s intention to accurately capture the words and images she wants to depict, her works end up transforming into something entirely different. This process, along with Kono’s obsession with her creation, seems to give the works a certain coherence. The unsettling brushstrokes and chaotic compositions of the artworks may direct the audience’s attention to what Kono describes as “inescapable emotions that exacerbate the difficulty of living.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I am from Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Career April 2015
Enrolled in the Oil Painting Course, Department of Painting, College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. March 2019
Graduated from the Oil Painting Course, Department of Painting, College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. April 2019
Enrolled in the Master’s Program,Oil Painting Course,Fine Arts Course,Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. March 2021
Graduated from the Master’s Program,Oil Painting Course,Fine Arts Course,Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. Exhibition History February 2021
Solo Exhibition at Koto Gallery Kokuritsu September 2021
Solo Exhibition at Gallery SIACCA June 2023
Solo Exhibition at Gallery SIACCA July 2023
Solo Exhibition at GARDENY’S DINING September 2023
Group Exhibition at Gallery Max New York Awards January 2015
New Emerging Artist Works Exhibition Vol. 13ag Award January 2019
Musashino Art University Graduation Exhibition Laboratory Award March 2021
Musashino Art University Graduation Exhibition Excellence Award
© Shiho Kono