Born in Niigata in 1988, this painter advocates for a "world without invaders," using pencils to bring out textures embedded in the background while depicting unjust rule and violence, and the social structures that give rise to them. She was selected for the Shell Art Award and exhibited at the Ueno Royal Museum Grand Prize Exhibition and a group exhibition in Paris.
Shikoh Kuramochi
Japan
⬤ Works in 2026
NOT YOURS (Painting / 970mm x 1303mm)
The place leading to heaven and hell (1120mm high x 1455mm wide)
The person I've been searching for may never have existed in the first place (727mm x 606mm)
⬤ Message
Based on the concept of "For a world without invaders," the film depicts a world free from unjust rule and violence.
In society, various invaders threaten various things. Previously, I believed that "invaders are entirely evil in all things." While that's not entirely wrong, recently I've also been paying attention to "the social mechanisms that produce invaders." Perhaps invaders themselves were invaded somewhere in the past. Invasion is a vicious cycle.
It's difficult for me to judge whether this society gives rise to invaders, or whether invaders have created this society, but I hope that society will become a better place. I want everyone to live freely and to cherish the freedom of others. I want a society where no one is invaded by anyone. I create my work with the hope of creating a society without invaders.
⬤ Biography
Born in Niigata in 1988.
2012 "Yoshihiro Kuramochi Exhibition" (Niigata)
Graduated with a Master's degree from Tokyo Zokei University in 2015.
2018 Shell Art Award / Honorable Mention (5th place in the Audience category)
2019 Ueno Royal Museum Grand Prize Exhibition / Award Nominees
2021 Solo Exhibition: "Forget about heaven. Stand solemnly on the soil of this hell." (Niigata)
2023 Solo Exhibition "Let the accumulating punishment crush the plunderers." (Niigata)
2024 Solo Exhibition "I Dreamed of Becoming Human" (Niigata)
2024 Group exhibition "Au-delà de la Lumière < Exposition de Fumiko Shimoda >" (Paris)
Exhibiting at SICF26 2025 (Tokyo)
Selected for Kyomachibori ART FAIR 2025 (Osaka)
2026 Solo Exhibition "Does Punishment Transcend Death?" (Osaka)