Goto Mizuho solo exhibition "soap, ruler"
shimokitazawaartsMay 13 - 24, 2026
1-7 pm
Closed on Mon and Tue.
*A portion of the proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian crisis etc.
Shimokitazawa Arts is pleased to present soap, ruler, a solo exhibition by Goto Mizuho. Born in Tokyo in 2001, Goto graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, majoring in Oil Painting, at Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2023, and completed her MFA in Oil Painting at the university's Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2026. She received the Student Special Award at the IDEMITSU Art Award 2023 and has since emerged as one of the most promising young artists of her generation, participating in numerous exhibitions in recent years.
Goto's practice is grounded in extensive research into the Holocaust, as well as other historical events involving war, violence, and discrimination—subjects that have long occupied her attention. Having personally endured severe lung disease and undergone a lung transplant, she feels a profound connection to those who have suffered oppression, identifying with the breathlessness of climbing stairs and the leaden weight of an ailing body.
Yet in striking contrast to the gravity of these themes, Goto's paintings employ familiar, everyday motifs—avocados, rulers, soap—imbuing her works with an intentional lightness. Rather than treating humanity's darkest histories as distant, monumental subjects, she confronts them as issues that persist in our everyday lives. This approach reflects her unwavering belief that such realities must be faced directly, without looking away.
At a time when major conflicts continue to unfold around the world, Goto's quiet, deeply personal form of resistance resonates with particular urgency, speaking powerfully to all who encounter her work.
Artist Statement
My work is rooted in research into historical events, guided by the question of how people act when confronted with circumstances beyond their control.
Alongside rulers and avocados, I have introduced soap as a new, familiar motif in this body of work. To maintain cleanliness, we constantly wash our hands and our bodies. Yet soap carries a dark history, and in the act of washing, certain things can also be made to disappear.
The body and sexuality are inextricably entwined with war, violence, and discrimination. Through my work, I seek to foreground these entanglements and to continue resisting a society that remains, even now, difficult to breathe in.
Goto Mizuho
Born in Tokyo, Japan, 2001
2023 B.F.A., Oil Painting, Department of Fine Arts, Joshibi University of Art and Design, Kanagawa, Japan
2026 M.F.A., Painting, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Joshibi University of Art and Design, Kanagawa, Japan
Awards
2026 Joshibi University of Art and Design Museum Encouragement Award
2023 Student Special Award, IDEMITSU Art Award 2023
2023 Kamiyama Foundation Award, The 58th Kanagawa Art Exhibition
Solo Exhibitions
2025 "Landscapes I Remember, A Lemon I Have Seen Before" Kyoto Tsutaya Books, Kyoto, Japan
2024 "Picking Up Avocados, Holding Books" Shimokitazawa Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026
The 49th Tokyo Five Art Universities Graduation Exhibition, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
2025
"Joshibi University of Art and Design 125th Anniversary Exhibition" Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Fine Arts Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Essence of the Everyday: A Modern Still Life" SPACE TSUMUJI, Tokyo, Japan
"Beyond This Sea" Art Garden Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
"art session" Ginza Tsutaya Books, Tokyo, Japan
"Group Show" Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Contemporary Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Palestine: A Warm Home in Matsudo" Inkyo-ya, Chiba, Japan
"Reframing: Reconsidering Painting" ARTDYNE, Tokyo, Japan
"STELL" BEAK585GALLERY, Osaka, Japan
"Greeting" Kyoto Tsutaya Books, Kyoto, Japan
2024
"The Party" Shimokitazawa Arts, Tokyo, Japan
"Prologue XV 2024" GALLERY ART POINT, Tokyo, Japan
"Snapshot" ARTDYNE, Tokyo, Japan
"Palestine: A Warm Home" NAMNAM SPACE, Kanagawa, Japan
"Group Show" Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Contemporary Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2023
IDEMITSU Art Award Exhibition 2023, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
"Coil" art space kimura ASK?P, Tokyo, Japan
The 58th Kanagawa Art Exhibition, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, Kanagawa, Japan
"swim to....." Harmony Hall Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
"EPIC PAINTERS VOL.12" THE blank GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
"Capturing an Uncertain Profile in Distant Memory (Two-Person Exhibition)" AYUMI GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
The 46th Tokyo Five Art Universities Graduation Exhibition, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
