Miwa Komatsu

Guided by the ethos of “Great Harmonization” (大調和), Miwa Komatsu (b. 1984) is a contemporary artist receiving global attention. She began her career with copperplate etchings in a predominantly black palette. After worshipping at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and dedicating works there, she awakened to the world of color, and in recent years has expanded her practice to large-scale paintings alive with vibrant, dancing hues, three-dimensional works, and immersive installations.

Amid this diversification, the subject Komatsu has consistently depicted is the Divine Spirits. Since childhood, she has felt the near presence of guiding Divine Spirits. Traveling the world, she discovered that beings of this kind appear across many faiths and religions; in time she became convinced that everywhere people lift prayers to the heavens—and that it is the Divine Spirits who connect those prayers. In other words, the Divine Spirits form the core motif of Komatsu’s guiding philosophy.

At the culmination of deep meditation, Komatsu takes into herself the heat radiated by these Spirits and, driven by that heat, sets her brush in motion. Centering on such Spirits thus given form, this exhibition presents approximately 60 works, including series that visualize folktales and legends from various regions, large-scale pieces shaped by her distinctive cosmology, and new works inspired by the land and climate of Hokkaidō.

Please note: the prints and drawings shown in the Sapporo presentation will not be included in this exhibition.