SHIMIZU Mikan

■Profile
Born in Hokkaido
2025　MFA, Paintings field, Speciality in Culture and the Arts, Tohoku University of Art & Design
2022　BFA, Oil Painting in Fine Art, Tohoku University of Art & Design

■Main solo exhibitions
2025　“ Quality of Light - Twilight Beyond Time ”, WINDOW, Yamagata, Japan
2024　“ Light's Presence “, WINDOW, Yamagata, Japan
2023　“ Qualia ”, THE TOP, Yamagata, Japan


■Main Group Exhibitions
2025　“ TUAD ART-LINKS 2025 “, ORIE ART GALLERY, Tokyo
2025　“ Tohoku University of Art & Design Graduation Research & Project Exhibition 2024 - Tokyo Selection”, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo
2022　“ perché “, Surugadai Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
2021　“ Victory Bouquet ”, Boston Children’s Museum, America

■Other major activities
2024 Exhibit “SICF25”, Spiral Hall, Tokyo
2023-24 Space Decoration Artwork “Japan Business Design Awards National Convention”, Kanda Myojin Hall, Tokyo/ Cooperation: EnoGG Co., Ltd., etc.
2023~2024 Animal Art Production/Cooperation: EnoGG Inc.

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My artwork expresses the "Quality of Light" inspired by twilight scenes.
I am often captivated by twilight scenes that . During these
moments, as diverse hues spread across the sky and light transforms continuously, vegetation seems
to dissolve into the light itself. The internal form of objects progressively becomes ambiguous,
transforming like silhouettes. What's fascinating, however, is that the outlines that remain until the
end give me a definite intuition of "that's a flower" or "that's a bird," hinting at their original
meanings. This phenomenon seems to raise questions about how humans perceive and comprehend
existence.
From the perspectives of neuroscience and philosophy, I believe humans’ perception of the world is
constructed from three elements: "qualia," "cognitive processes," and "linguistic categorisation." I have
focused on the multi-layered structure of perception, considering how these elements overlap like
"layers" to form humans’ perceived world.
In my artistic approach, I interpret "the outlines of objects" as symbols of "boundaries created by
linguistic categorisation," and use contrasts between the ambiguous texture inside motifs and the
outlines that remain in my consciousness.
For my technique, I create highly transparent layered structures by combining interference pigments,
mica, and small glass beads with acrylic medium. These compositions incorporate light reflections,
chromatic shifts, and spontaneous textures, allowing the artwork to present different appearances
depending on the viewer's perspective and changes in environmental light.
This approach reflects how humans’ perceptual world exists as various overlapping meanings
(layers), simultaneously containing contradictory impressions. Within this, what exactly are we
focusing on and discovering? Through the shifting qualities of light, I hope we can recognize and
appreciate the diverse meanings in existence around us.