Mio SHIRAI:Clearing in Woods

This is the first solo exhibition at an art museum for Mio Shirai, who freely traverses media to continue to actively create works of art.Her precious three-dimensional works, which were released in the early 1990s, will be exhibited for the first time in about 30 years.The exhibition focuses on her paintings, which have developed in stunning fashion since the early 2000s, and also includes videos and objects to reveal the full picture of this unknown giant.

Mio Shirai’s works, with their sophisticated forms and deep thought that presents complex layers of meaning, have retained their extraordinary quality for over 35 years.
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, when the bubble economy was drawing to a close, Shirai skillfully cited and appropriated social conventions and customs to develop florid and bold installations using ready-made items such as furniture and barriers. These works were characterized by glossy black color and the use of reflective hard materials, and photographs were also used in a striking manner.

From the mid-2000s onwards, at the height of the Heisei era, bright colors such as pink and light blue appeared, soft materials such as cloth and thread began to be utilized, and paintings started to play a central role. Meditations on the universe and the circle of life were woven into imagery taken from stories and illustrations in alchemy books.

In the “Mio Shirai: Clearing in the Woods” exhibition, precious early works will be reconstructed and exhibited together with the latest works. Please come and visit the “clearing” that opens at the end of the labyrinth born from the intermingling of objects, spaces, and images.