[Interview] Front Artist (JPFA) Maria Mimori

Artist support system launched by our corporation in 2025”Japan Promotion Front Artist: JPFA”. We asked this year's artist, Maria Mimori, to talk about her encounter with painting and her future.

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Maria Mimori (Maria Mimori). Born in 1988 in Tokyo. Graduated from Webster University (Switzerland) School of Business Administration in 2012. When I visited India in '19, I took up a paintbrush. Since then, they have exhibited at exhibitions not only in Tokyo, where they are based, but also in Paris, Dubai, London, Singapore, and New York. They are also actively participating in group exhibitions. 22nd “16th ARC Salon, Landscapecategory” finalist, 23 “Art Capital — Les Salon des Artistes Français” Honorable Mention Award.

Japanese people who don't know Japan

I want them to grow up to be world-conscious children — as indicated by the parents' wish shown by the name Maria, they entered an international boarding school equipped with dormitories from age 8. After spending 3 years in Hong Kong and 12 years in Switzerland, I returned home after graduating from university.

The native speaker is English. They are multilingual, and can also manipulate French in everyday conversation.

“I didn't speak much Japanese. I've been abroad for so long that I don't have any Japanese friends. “In this long life, even though I'm Japanese, I can't speak Japanese, and it's embarrassing that I don't know anything about Japan. I thought, “Let's work in Japan,” so I went back to Japan.”

In order to learn Japanese, I started with a kanji drill for 1st graders. I read books earnestly, visit shrines and hot springs to learn about traditions, and absorb everything related to Japan, from food to art. At the same time as my Japanese identity, I also established my Japanese language, and I got a job at a Japanese company.

When you get carried away, it goes all the way down. His personality, which can be called a hard worker, is also reflected in yoga, which was a habit at the time.

The reason and commitment to drawing pictures

Originally, I loved traveling, so I visited India, the mecca of yoga, alone as a backpacker.

“I wanted to go to ascetic training. But I missed the sleeper train and ended up in Jaisalmer. So what should I do (laughs)”

It is a town in the desert at the western end of India, and is also known as the Golden City because the sunset illuminates the entire area.

On the other hand, Mr. Mimori is in trouble, but he is shocked by the golden scenery of the town. The picture was taken, but it wasn't recorded as expected. “I want to preserve that beauty.” Artist Maria Mimori began when she tried to recreate it with pictures while thinking so. I returned to Japan and began production activities while getting the job done. The size of this first work is 80 x 130 cm. Her boldness to work on big pictures without hesitation may also be said to be a characteristic of her.

“Japanese painting is a tradition of Japanese art, so this is it! I thought so. It wasn't acrylic or oil, and it was natural to get in from there. Also, learning Japanese painting by myself seemed difficult, so I took on the challenge. They seem to have a lot to learn, and they seem to be having fun.”

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When I was a kid, my art grades were always A. It was fun to create something with my own hands, and I was good at it.

“I'm really attracted to art materials such as mineral pigments and powder. It's also a Japanese tradition, but I wonder why they were made by cutting rocks in this era! It becomes more interesting. Sometimes I buy my own stones and rocks and crush them to make dyes. There are still many discoveries, such as whether it is easy to crush or hard to crush, whether the color is good or bad, how the color develops when mixed with glue (Nikawa), and how it differs between dry and wet conditions. The material plays the leading role in my paintings, so I don't want to use fakes, and I'm the type that has a strong commitment to using natural mineral pigments and the real thing.”

The silver foil in the work was pure platinum foil (Morphosis/top image).

Open up your own world of Japanese painting

It's been about 5 years since I started painting in 2019. They say that people around them are surprised and cheering for the sudden production activity. However, there are also negative voices saying “there's no way you can do it” and “it's impossible to teach yourself.”

“From the point of view of people who have gone to school properly, I think they would like to say, 'What are you doing? 'to me, who is working out the glue properly. I've also made mistakes over and over again that I think I would have made this sooner if I had studied at an art college. I don't have any mentors, and I just read art college textbooks in the library. There isn't much information on Japanese paintings on YouTube either, so let's look it up! It makes me feel like that. Also, I think there are advantages of not being a regular route. I feel like I'll be steeped in that style when I ask them to tell me about it. If so, I'm 100 times happier to find my own correct answers even when making mistakes.”

Worlds and themes without borders

After that, she continued to paint, and began exhibiting at solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and international art fairs.

“I've been working on the same theme for the past 2 years or so. That is 'coexistence of diversity'.”

Students from all over the world gathered at the school until they returned to Japan, and all aspects such as race, culture, and religion were melting pots.

“For example, when I suddenly look to the side in the same class, there is a child bowing facing somewhere about 5 times a day. It was in a normal environment, so I sometimes felt uncomfortable when I came back to Japan, and I call it a “border.” It feels like a border, like a border. I'm working on production while thinking that it would be nice if that kind of thing disappeared.”

Border talks with all his might that not only about race and religion, but also about language, gender, and connections between people.

“Japanese paintings don't use dye by removing it from a tube; they mix various minerals with glue etc. to make the work. That's the interesting part, and it fits with the theme of coexistence of diversity. I think the fact that materials are mixed into one work fits perfectly. I think it would be nice to have more freedom without borders, and I think it would be nice if they could look at my work and feel more open.”

Mr. Mimori's original experiences underlie her creative activities. Taking advantage of living in Switzerland, I have traveled to many places before. In my works so far, there are many scenes I've seen while traveling, including the Golden City.

“There are a lot of old buildings in Europe. It's amazing to think that it's a cobblestone pavement that Romans walked hundreds of years ago! I thought, it gave me a nostalgic feeling, and it looked mysterious. Drawing invisible feelings is too much freedom of expression, and that's good. If I make a picture with my touch, I think I'll be able to convey the feelings I felt to people even just a little bit. However, this work (World Art Dubai 2025 exhibition work = Morphosis/top image) is a world I created entirely in my own head in a place that isn't actually there. It's a different feeling, isn't it? I think I've grown as a painter.”

Thoughts as a painter who I am in the future

At the same time as feeling a step up as a painter, he also seems to have worries.

“There are times when I'm making things by myself, and I feel quite lonely. Something like time to interact with the work continued for days. I feel that it is difficult to eat as a painter. I'm lonely and my paintings aren't selling. There are times when I get negative comments, and I think it's an occupation where I really ask if what I'm doing is right.”

While there was also a mental battle, he also talked about his enthusiasm for the future, saying, “My level is still far ahead.”

“I'm drawing pictures now, but there is also a possibility that I will start working on three-dimensional works in the future. Since I started working as an artist, I realized that my interest lies in materials, and I think it would be fun to combine various materials. Metal and wood, natural objects and man-made objects. What I'm really interested in is silk. Do you do fabric art? I still don't understand it myself. A pattern with the same thing drawn on it. There are also works by Golden City, and I'm really interested in shapes and forms that proliferate more and more. it's strange. I'm looking for common points in my work, and I feel like they are there.”

The theme of coexistence of diversity and the fact that materials play the leading role remain unblurred, and we are still exploring whether it will become a picture or something else.

“I still don't know what I can do, but I definitely have a feeling that it will be fun. It would be great if Japanese traditions could be disseminated overseas, and there are many Japanese people who don't know about Japanese painting, so I would be happy if it was an opportunity to learn about paintings and materials. I would be even happier if that was an opportunity for you to understand my theme!” Mimori-san laughs. This personality is also one of the points that our corporation would like to recommend.

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