“Denying God and living in reality is always accompanied by anxiety,” says Japanese painter Hikari Shimoda, whose latest solo show, Questions for Living in the World, runs through Dec. 23, 2023, at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown Los Angeles.
Sparkling and sweet, Questions for Living in the World presents a range of mesmerizing new works from Hikari’s manga-inspired series Whereabouts of God. “I continue to create works using the theme of how we live in this world of sorrow, loneliness, and salvation,” Hikari says of the new work. “This time, by juxtaposing the themes that I’ve created so far, I would like to create an exhibition that cross-cuts and expresses people living in the present age.”
Hikari’s first exhibition at Corey Helford, Fantastic Planet, Goodbye Man (2014), introduced her work to the international art scene; since then, she’s become one of the most recognized artists to rise from Japan’s new contemporary painters movement. Questions for Living in the World follows Hikari’s 2022 exhibition at Corey Helford, Fight to Live in the Void.
“‘God is dead’ are the words of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche,” says Hikari, explaining the idea behind her series Whereabouts of God. “Keep asking what the truth is and keep looking…it’s a painful task that requires a huge amount of energy. My series conceptually depicts the mental image of a person seeking the truth and the challenges that brings. In some of the paintings, you’ll see a scar on the neck of the young boys, which looks like light coming through, and this is meant to express the idea that things become clearer over time.”
Questions for Living in the World runs through Dec. 23, 2023, at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown L.A. alongside Josie Morway’s Course of Empire. For more information, please visit the gallery’s website here.
“Keep asking what the truth is and keep looking…it’s a painful task that requires a huge amount of energy.” — Hikari Shimoda
Hikari Shimoda: Website | Instagram
All photos published with permission of the artist(s).
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