And when he watered the flower for the last time, and prepared to place her under the shelter of her glass globe, he realized that he was very close to tears.
“Goodbye,” he said to the flower.
But she made no answer.
“Goodbye,” he said again.
The flower coughed. But it was not because she had a cold.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Catalogue Essay
Drawing inspiration from Japanese manga and anime from her youth, Hikari Shimoda’s universe is at once disarmingly adorable and terrifying. Starry eyed children adopt heroic costumes evocative of Superman and the anime sub genre of magic wielding girls, such as Sailor Moon; while also referencing the postures of the Buddha or Kannon. In particular, Shimoda is strongly influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, the internationally acclaimed animator and co-founder of Studio Ghibli.
Detail of the current lot on the artist’s Instagram At first glance, Shimoda’s starry-eyed, vibrant-coloured characters are sugarcoated with their ‘kawaii-ness’, yet yearns to express a deeper complexity of emotions from the artist:
“The character I draw is not a portrait of a specific person, but a vessel for expressing the two-sidedness and emotional complexity of human beings themselves. The eyes are a part of us that are especially expressive and I want to express human complexity by giving different brightness to the left and right eye.” — Hikari Shimoda
The dichotomy between the initial cuteness of her work and the underlying darkness within stemmed from the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake. Nuclear power, initially commercialised as ‘natural and safe’ revealed its ugly underbelly, throwing into disarray the very foundations of ordinary life. Shimoda transforms senses of hopelessness and anxiety into positive imagery of bright patterns and colours. Through her frequent use of children as motifs, Shimoda openly explores the struggles and aspirations faced by adults in modern society. As viewers find themselves caught in the swirling galaxies of the children’s pupils, salvation and reprieve can be found amidst the chaos of our time.
Interview with the artist
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Exhibited
Hong Kong, ARTboratory, One must look with the heart, 29 June - 12 July 2021
1
The Little Prince (Pain of Love and Loneliness)
signed and dated 'Hikari 2021' lower right; further signed, titled and dated ' "The Little Prince (Pain of Love and Loneliness)" [in Japanese] 2021 Hikari' on the reverse
oil and acrylic on canvas
72.7 x 72.7 cm. (28 5/8 x 28 5/8 in.)
Painted in 2021.
Estimate
HK$80,000 - 100,000
€9,100-11,300
$10,300-12,800
Sold for HK$529,200
Hin Hin Wong
Associate Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
+852 2318 2013
hinhinwong@phillips.com
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