Inspired by Japanese manga and anime from her youth, Hikari Shimoda paints modern-day issues with colourful and illustrative techniques. Her paintings often depict starry-eyed children dressed in heroic costumes resembling Superman and magical girls – an anime sub-genre of young girls who use magic. These storylines often reveal problems and struggles in contemporary society, and Shimoda does the same with her paintings through the juxtaposition of brushwork, text and collage. Shimoda sees the characters as a commentary on Christianity’s anointment of Jesus Christ as a saviour of humanity – a...
Bio
Hikari Shimoda was born in 1984 in Nagano, Japan, where she continues to live and work.
Influences
Shimoda cites animator Hayao Miyazaki as her biggest inspiration. Like the narratives in her paintings, Miyazaki’s stories also revolve around love and despair.
Education
Shimoda discovered painting in high school and has pursued it ever since. Before that she dreamt of becoming a manga artist – its influence is still evident in her paintings today.