Mitsuko Miwa b. 1958
Based in Aichi Prefecture, Mitsuko Miwa has since her early years developed her own painterly practice through varied stylistic transitions. Diverse motifs seen in Miwa’ s works, ranging from figures and furniture to landscapes, suggest that the artist's interest is not in the painted objects but the painting itself as a device.
Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Art and Music. Awarded a scholarship from the Philip Morris Foundation, she stayed in Berlin from 1996-1997, and also was selected as a guest artist for the Swedish artistic exchange program IASPIS (Stockholm) in 1998. At first glance, her painting looks like a photo but it has a solid touch that makes you feel a brushstroke when you look closer. It seems that she raised a problem about the image between a photo and a painting.
Her major solo exhibitions include: "CHARLIE in TEXAS” at IASPIS, Stockholm, Sweden in1995; “Kalte FuBe”at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany; “Imaginary Number” at Long House Project, New York in 2014; “Figure” at GOTTO-DO, Nagoya in 2017. Her major group exhibitions include: “Color and Monochrome” at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto in 1989; “Tsubaki-kai 2005” at Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo in 2005; “Vanishing Point: Contemporary Japanese Art” at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and Project 88, Mumbai, India in 2007; “Primary Field II” at The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama in 2010; “Aichi Triennale 2022” in 2022.
Miwa received VOCA PRIZE in 1995. Her work is included in museum collections such as The National Museum of Art, Osaka, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Shiseido Co., Ltd. and The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama.