Miwa Komatsu’s Performance at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi

This video, titled "Miwa Komatsu, Live Performance Event in Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store" (「小松美羽_ライブペイントin日本橋三越本店」), introduces the young artist Miwa Komatsu.
This live performance event was held at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi from December 5th, 2018 to December 16th, 2018. In this video, we'll introduce the work of the young and talented artist Miwa Komatsu’s, including her Shinju (Shinto creatures) series, and the "Miwa Komatsu exhibition," where more than 100 pieces of her work, including new pieces, were on display.

The exhibition had works such as, "The 22 pillars of Shinju," with the theme "Yamato Power to the World" (大和力を世界へ, Yamatoryoku wo sekai e), her wolf series, which are a vivid reminder of life and death, as well as the "10 3-dimensional Komainu" (Guardian dogs). At 3:52 in the video, you can see some of her works displayed at the exhibition.

About the Aspiring Artist Miwa Komatsu

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Miwa Komatsu, featured in the video, is a Japanese woodblock and contemporary artist. Born in 1984 in Nagano Prefecture, she entered Joshibi College of Art and Design in 2003 and began making copperplate prints.
In 2005, she became famous for her work "49 Days" (四十九日, sijuukunichi), and in 2010, she published a book of original poetry and drawings, titled "Encounters are Everything in Life" (出会いこそ人生のすべて).
In 2012, she held her first solo exhibition "Furusato Sakajo wo Egaku -Kaminezumi to Karanekosama-" at the Tetsu Museum in her hometown Nagano.
She dedicated her work "Shin-Fudoki" (新・風土木) to Izumo Taisha Shrine.

She also collaborated with horticultural designer Kazuyuki Ishihara to exhibit Arita-ware komainu at the Chelsea Flower Show, the world's largest gardening event organized by the Royal Horticultural Society.
The work entered into the permanent collection at the British Museum.
In 2017, Komatsu held a Solo Exhibition at Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioi Conference (Tokyo, Japan), which drew 30,000 visitors. In 2018, at the age of 33, she held a retrospective exhibition in Karuizawa New Art Museum.
In 2019, she held her solo exhibition "Prayer" at Whitestone Gallery in Taipei (Taiwan), she also held a collaboration exhibition with the world-class artist Yayoi Kusama the same year.

The Style of Miwa Komatsu

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As you can tell from her paintings, such as "All May Become Dragons" (だれしも龍となる), "Earth Birthing Qilin" (麒麟を産む木), or "Shishi Alpha Final Form" (阿獅子 最終形態), many of Komatsu's works are designed under the theme of mythical creatures.

Her way of painting is unique as she prays both before and after drawing.
This is a way of expressing her hope that the "paintings will become a place of prayer for many people."
You can see her praying at 0:14 in the video.

In the live painting performance, she put paints directly onto her drawing brush, her fingers and palms, and then she paints with a delicate yet bold touch.
The audience hold their breaths and watch as she paints up and down.
Check out the video around 0:28 to see Komatsu’s live performance.

Miwa Komatsu on the TV Show "Jonetsu Tairiku"

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Komatsu appeared on the popular TV show "Jounestu Tairiku" presented by MBS/TBS in November of 2015.
She drew global attention being an exceptionally young artist to have her worked inducted at the British Museum.
Even so, she unconfidently smiled and said "I'm not good enough to compete at a worldwide level," showing her aspirations to aim further.

In addition, she exhibited her work at Christie's, the world's longest-running art auction house, showing the gap between the world's top aesthetic collectors and the timid Komatsu, who watched with bated breath as she waited to see if her work would be evaluated by them.

Miwa Komatsu’s Passionate Performance

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What did you think of Miwa Komatsu, the young up-and-coming artist?
If you're interested in checking out her work, be sure to take a look at her website and follow her on Instagram.

You can also check the latest information about her exhibitions and live events. You'll be captivated by her passionate performances.

【Official Website】Miwa Komatsu Official site
https://miwa-komatsu.jp/en/