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長野県出身。8歳より書道を始める。新潟大学教育人間科学部・芸術環境創造課程書表現コース卒業。2015年からイラストと書道を融合させた「イラスト書道」を制作し始める。同年秋、『学校では教えてくれないアーティストのなり方』(ディスカバー21)に感銘を受け、ニューヨーク・Ouchi Gallery 主催の「第 11 回 100 人展」のコンペに思い切って応募。コンペの通過をきっかけに本格的にアーティスト活動を始める。
2017年2月、苦手だった英語を習得し、展覧会のために単身渡米。同展にて、全く予想だにしなかった 1st Prize(一等賞)を獲得。受賞を記念し、渋谷、長野県飯田市にてニューヨーク凱旋個展「HOME」を開催。
アート作品の制作以外に書籍やウェブサイトへの題字の提供、パフォーマンス書道なども行っている。また、書道で培った知識を活かし、出版社でデザイナー、イラストレーターとして活躍。2017年に独立。茂木健一郎氏の本のデザイン、NHKテキスト『まいにちロシア語』などの挿絵を手がける。共著に『伝わる手書きの練習帖』(エイムック)『ふたりの兄弟』(大盛堂書店)がある。長野トヨタなどの社名の題字なども手掛け、CMなどにも使用されている。小中学校でのパフォーマンスや講演も多数。
2017年2月、苦手だった英語を習得し、展覧会のために単身渡米。同展にて、全く予想だにしなかった 1st Prize(一等賞)を獲得。受賞を記念し、渋谷、長野県飯田市にてニューヨーク凱旋個展「HOME」を開催。
アート作品の制作以外に書籍やウェブサイトへの題字の提供、パフォーマンス書道なども行っている。また、書道で培った知識を活かし、出版社でデザイナー、イラストレーターとして活躍。2017年に独立。茂木健一郎氏の本のデザイン、NHKテキスト『まいにちロシア語』などの挿絵を手がける。共著に『伝わる手書きの練習帖』(エイムック)『ふたりの兄弟』(大盛堂書店)がある。長野トヨタなどの社名の題字なども手掛け、CMなどにも使用されている。小中学校でのパフォーマンスや講演も多数。
Profile
Wazen always appreciates Japanese characters. She believes that each character helps her creation – a harmony of calligraphy and pictures.
Wazen was brought up in Nagano, Japan – a quiet area surrounded by nature. She has always enjoyed drawing pictures and reading books since a young age. You may notice that her art has a playful undertone. It is because she has great admiration towards influential manga artists: Tezuka Osamu, Toriyama Akira, among other great manga artists.
Ever since she has taken calligraphy lessons at the age of eight, she’s been deeply absorbed in it. She kept pursuing her love of calligraphy in university. She is fascinated by “Kokotsubun” and “Kinbun” which are ancient characters. They are ideograms, which were originally derived from pictograms – they are pictures in her eyes; gives her uncanny feelings. After graduating from university, she took a job at a publishing company to fulfill one of her dreams, creating books. She is currently an editorial designer and illustrator.
However, she has recently realized that art is her true calling and decided to lead her life as an artist. What prompted her decision was a calligraphy exhibition she joined, after a 10-year absence.
During the intense preparation, she reconnected to her passion of calligraphy.
She also realized that calligraphy is not a favorite subject for many Japanese. Many of them are not interested unless you are a calligrapher; that frustrates her a great deal. It’s a shame that they don’t know how to enjoy calligraphy – it is “Mottainai”!. She wanted to make more people to enjoy one of Japan’s most beautiful and richest cultures. She started thinking about what she could offer them that would interest them, – so she started experimenting with a new approach. She first drew a girl with a delicate and fragile appearance and then gave her “羽”(=wings) in an ancient character, which looks exactly like what they represented.
Now Wazen successfully created a harmony of the delicacy and fine appearance of the girl with the grandeur of calligraphy – New magnificent beauty was born.
She felt that this new style could break the paradigms towards calligraphy; draw more attention from people. Also, it could be enjoyable for foreigners who don’t have any knowledge of Japanese calligraphy.
“This is my style; this is my art!” her inspiration stroke.
Her journey continues and the best is yet to come.
Wazen was brought up in Nagano, Japan – a quiet area surrounded by nature. She has always enjoyed drawing pictures and reading books since a young age. You may notice that her art has a playful undertone. It is because she has great admiration towards influential manga artists: Tezuka Osamu, Toriyama Akira, among other great manga artists.
Ever since she has taken calligraphy lessons at the age of eight, she’s been deeply absorbed in it. She kept pursuing her love of calligraphy in university. She is fascinated by “Kokotsubun” and “Kinbun” which are ancient characters. They are ideograms, which were originally derived from pictograms – they are pictures in her eyes; gives her uncanny feelings. After graduating from university, she took a job at a publishing company to fulfill one of her dreams, creating books. She is currently an editorial designer and illustrator.
However, she has recently realized that art is her true calling and decided to lead her life as an artist. What prompted her decision was a calligraphy exhibition she joined, after a 10-year absence.
During the intense preparation, she reconnected to her passion of calligraphy.
She also realized that calligraphy is not a favorite subject for many Japanese. Many of them are not interested unless you are a calligrapher; that frustrates her a great deal. It’s a shame that they don’t know how to enjoy calligraphy – it is “Mottainai”!. She wanted to make more people to enjoy one of Japan’s most beautiful and richest cultures. She started thinking about what she could offer them that would interest them, – so she started experimenting with a new approach. She first drew a girl with a delicate and fragile appearance and then gave her “羽”(=wings) in an ancient character, which looks exactly like what they represented.
Now Wazen successfully created a harmony of the delicacy and fine appearance of the girl with the grandeur of calligraphy – New magnificent beauty was born.
She felt that this new style could break the paradigms towards calligraphy; draw more attention from people. Also, it could be enjoyable for foreigners who don’t have any knowledge of Japanese calligraphy.
“This is my style; this is my art!” her inspiration stroke.
Her journey continues and the best is yet to come.
イラスト書道家 ／ ブックデザイナー ／ イラストレーター
2016 年:個展「Muse ~女神たちの福集め~」@大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）
2017 年:ニューヨーク、Ouchi Gallery 100 人展「HOME」1位
2017 年:個展「HOME」@大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）、長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）
2017 年:個展「三穂復興行事」@旧小笠原書院資料館（長野県飯田市）
2017 年:個展「『ふたりの兄弟』出版記念個展」@大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）、新潟県民会館（新潟県新潟市）
2018 年:個展「LIFE」長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷） 2018 年:個展「三穂復興行事」@旧小笠原書院資料館（長野県飯田市）
2019 年:個展「古代文字×世界の名画展」@長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）、ギャラリー青（福岡県飯塚市）、伊那文化会館（長野県伊那市）、心の花美術館（長野県上田市）、かんでんギャラリー（長野県木曽郡）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）
2019 年:ジャパンエキスポ inパリ参加
2019 年: A Bridge to JAPANESE ART inロンドン参加
2020 年: 個展「古代文字×名作文学展」@ギャラリー青（福岡県飯塚市）、飯田市立美術博物館（長野県飯田市）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）
2020年：World Art Dubai参加
インタビュー記事
2017 年:ニューヨーク、Ouchi Gallery 100 人展「HOME」1位
2017 年:個展「HOME」@大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）、長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）
2017 年:個展「三穂復興行事」@旧小笠原書院資料館（長野県飯田市）
2017 年:個展「『ふたりの兄弟』出版記念個展」@大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）、新潟県民会館（新潟県新潟市）
2018 年:個展「LIFE」長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷） 2018 年:個展「三穂復興行事」@旧小笠原書院資料館（長野県飯田市）
2019 年:個展「古代文字×世界の名画展」@長野県立飯田創造館（長野県飯田市）、ギャラリー青（福岡県飯塚市）、伊那文化会館（長野県伊那市）、心の花美術館（長野県上田市）、かんでんギャラリー（長野県木曽郡）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）
2019 年:ジャパンエキスポ inパリ参加
2019 年: A Bridge to JAPANESE ART inロンドン参加
2020 年: 個展「古代文字×名作文学展」@ギャラリー青（福岡県飯塚市）、飯田市立美術博物館（長野県飯田市）、大盛堂書店（東京渋谷）
2020年：World Art Dubai参加
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