Mayu Yukishita Solo Exhibition “FACE” Opens at MH Gallery Ginza, Nov 11

Mayu Yukisita Solo Exhibition “FACE” — A Creative Culmination Exploring Time and Memory Through the Artist’s Own Face Captured on Film

In recent years, Mayu Yukisita has developed a distinctive body of work based on 3D models.
For this exhibition, held in conjunction with the publication of her second art book “FACE – The Artworks of Mayu Yukisita”, the artist presents a new series she considers a culmination of her creative journey.
The central motif of this exhibition is “her own face captured on film.”
Choosing analog film instead of digital photography reflects Yukisita’s fascination with the “fluctuations of development” — the subtle unpredictability, traces of time, and serendipitous distortions inherent in film. These organic phenomena—such as the bleeding of light or the roughness of film grain—evoke layers of time and memory that are woven into her paintings.
Yukisita has long used her own existence as a medium to explore the theme of the face.
In “FACE,” she revisits this deeply personal yet universal motif, tracing the boundary between memory and the present, reality and illusion, to uncover another self that emerges in between.
While Yukisita’s earlier works carried a more graphical sensibility, her recent paintings have gradually evolved toward a more realistic tone. Yet, they never fully conform to realism—retaining a distinct illustrative quality that defines her visual identity.
When overlaid with photographs, her portraits consistently reveal a subtle shift: the eyes positioned slightly lower and drawn slightly larger. This recurring “golden proportion,” born intuitively, creates a unique harmony between realism and illustrative sensibility—an equilibrium central to Yukisita’s aesthetic.
Many of her digital works are created on the iPad using Adobe Fresco, often commissioned for commercial projects.
Thus, many viewers may first encounter her art through these digital illustrations. At the same time, she works fluently across diverse media such as watercolor and oil, selecting the most suitable technique according to the speed and rhythm with which she wishes to materialize an idea.
Digital works often align with her professional commissions, whereas oil paintings represent her personal and artistic expressions.
In Yukisita’s paintings, figures emerge from darkness with serene, mesmerizing gazes and smooth, emotionless skin—beauty that borders on the inhuman. Yet through her meticulous brushwork, a subtle magnetic pull, a hidden gravity of emotion, can be felt beneath the surface.
This exhibition invites viewers to experience the quiet intensity and emotional depth that lie at the heart of Mayu Yukisita’s art.