Interview
Wakiko Miyajima
Wakiko was born in Izumisano, Japan, but currently lives in Kobe.
Her interest in art began at an early age. She grew up exposed to many picture books, which she loved flipping through. Reading has always been something that Wakiko really enjoys.
Wakiko studied art at Akashi High School and oil painting at Musashino Art University.
Having worked as a likeness artist, Wakiko also enjoys creating illustrations. She currently works as a designer, while continuing to create her artwork.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was a kid that loved stories. I wanted to draw stories myself, which is what motivated me to start painting.
About three months after I was born, there was the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. I experienced it, but was too young to remember. However, an event is held every year to look back on the day of that earthquake. I don't know much about earthquakes, but I was able to piece together what had happened from the various stories that people told. Earthquakes are rarely a theme in my work. But I think it has influenced my work in some way.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I create paintings as a device to circulate unspoken emotions.
I hope that looking at the paintings will clear those feelings.”
What artists influence you most?
“I enjoy the work by Chihiro Iwasaki. He is a painter and picture book artist. My grandmother, who passed away when I was very young, bought these books for me and they left a very strong impression. We had tons of picture books at home, and looking at the pictures was the same as reading the stories for me.
I read many comics now. I think I am influenced by the flow of panels and the way they are deformed. I try to create pictures that are a mixture of the painterly and illustrative aspects.”
“Instead of offering answers, my work is more like a trigger. It’s a device that circulates something. A story of a circulating nature.”
What is your creative process like?
“When I choose the colors, I choose them with the theme of the moment in mind. Sometimes the motif is fixed, sometimes I find it in the painting.
A base is made and allowed a little time to develop. As time goes by, the overlapping colors start to look like some kind of shape, so the shape is repeatedly drawn up and erased to complete the work. I am careful not to make the picture too hard at that time. I am always conscious of invisible shapes, so I always feel as if I am sculpting.
I am not very particular about the materials I use, and I draw with a variety of materials, including oil paint, colored pencils, and digital tools.
I have been painting in oil since high school, so I am very familiar with it. But recently I mainly use colored pencils because I wanted to draw with more delicate materials.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I think there is a wide range of things that present new values and things that are personal, but I think the job is to create an outlet or a path for some kind of movement. And as long as the emotions keep moving, I think it will continue to get more complex in search of something new.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I’ve participated in a number of group exhibitions, listed below.
2018:
ACT Art Grand Prize Exhibition.
Graduation works exhibition. Musashino Art University.
Discover the one Japanese Art 2018 in PARIS.
All Russian Student Competition Exhibition ‘Takeda, Art / Overcoming’2017:
The 32nd Akashi High School Art Course Exhibition.
-30+1 Exhibition Retrospective and new departure for graduates 30 years.
Exhibition at a temple 132016:
Kokubunji Art Gallery.2015:
Kokubunji art gallery.
‘Where is my heart going?’ in Musashino art University.”
Instagram: @wakiko_miyajima
