Reiko Numao

Born in Saitama, Japan in 2003. Moved to China in early childhood and graduated from the High School Affiliated to Tsinghua University. Studied art in the UK and the US after graduation, completing a short course at the University of the Arts London. Since 2023, enrolled in the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino Art University.

In 2022, received the Jack Potter Memorial Award from the Society of Illustrators in the United States. The same year, awarded the Silas H. Rhodes Merit Scholarship from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
In 2023, won the Mazda Award at the Shin-Geijutsu Exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
In 2024, held a two-person exhibition at gallery33 in Koenji.
In 2025, held a solo exhibition titled “Yadoru Monotachi” at zoeee gallery.

Currently works with a mixed technique combining tempera, oil painting, and mineral pigments. With a deep interest in mysticism and folklore, she reconstructs elements from Ainu culture, ancient Egyptian animal deities, and old European beliefs, creating a unique pictorial world that explores the relationships between humans, animals, and unseen entities.