Yoshino Mao solo exhibition Homeward
shimokitazawaartsOctober 3 - 18, 2026
1-7 pm
Closed on Mon, Tue & Wed.
*open on Oct. 12
*Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa
During the exhibition period, the fifth edition of Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa will take place from September 18 to October 4, 2026. Large-scale contemporary artworks designed to capture attention on social media will be installed throughout Shimokitazawa, while many local shops will offer collaborative products and host related events.
Having attracted approximately 500,000 visitors last year, Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa is one of the area’s most popular art festivals. We hope you will enjoy the festival alongside the exhibition.
Shimokitazawa Arts is pleased to present Homeward, a solo exhibition by Yoshino Mao .
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Yoshino Mao graduated from the Ceramics Laboratory of the Department of Crafts at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021. Working consistently with flowers as her motif, Yoshino has garnered attention not only through exhibitions, but also through collaborations and commissions for fashion brands such as Comme des Garçons, restaurants, and public spaces.
Yoshino’s abstracted flowers can appear at once like suns, people, or buildings. They possess a charm that brings a smile to the face at first glance, yet when one lingers before the works for a moment, there is a sensation of their warm energy reaching deep within.
Yoshino approaches each place she visits and each person she encounters with sincerity, carefully cherishing what emerges after these experiences have been absorbed and reflected upon within herself. She devotes herself to her creative practice with a quiet earnestness. Her wish is simple: to “deliver love to people.” Her soft yet direct mode of expression seems to mirror the way she lives her life.
The many exhibitions, experiences, and encounters Yoshino has accumulated over the past several years appear to have brought a greater universality to her artistic expression. We invite you to come and encounter Yoshino’s flowers—cute, gentle, and strong in equal measure.
May this letter—or painting—lead you to a place filled with love.
Homeward
The place we return to.
Where could that be?
A vast place, a vast place.
A place that exists within the heart.
Clutching a letter in our hands, let us go home.
A place that exists nowhere.
Yoshino Mao
Born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
Graduated from the Ceramics Research Laboratory, Department of Crafts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021.
Using abstracted flowers and elements of nature as motifs, she creates paintings that function as a form of communication, much like letters.
Her practice originated in her childhood, when she would create illustrated letters to convey her feelings to others. Today, she expands upon this form of dialogue through her paintings.
She also provides artworks for fashion brands, restaurants, public facilities, and other spaces, extending this dialogue through painting into society.
Selected Exhibitions
2026
Solo Exhibition Heart Dance Bloom, IDÉE, Tokyo
Solo Exhibition Afloat, MELLOWROOM, Okayama
2025
Solo Exhibition Bressing, SISON GALLERY, Tokyo
Solo Exhibition Light of the Island, CONTE_, Okinawa
Solo Exhibition POST OFFICE, SISON GALLERY, Tokyo
2024
Solo Exhibition Flower flame, cont, Nagoya
Solo Exhibition tie knots°, galerie P+EN, Nagoya
Solo Exhibition h•y•m•n, Shimokitazawa Arts, Tokyo
