Shiho ARAI

Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1986. She graduated from the Western Painting Course, Department of Fine Arts, Tohoku University of Art & Design in 2009.
As a kirie (paper-cutting) artist, Shiho Arai continues to pursue how far she can push the level of detail using the simple act of “cutting paper,” and what kinds of expressions can be achieved through the interplay of curves and straight lines.

Arai’s works are all cut from a single sheet of paper using a craft knife. By listening to her inner child, she entrusts suppressed emotions to a single sheet and expresses feelings that cannot be fully conveyed in words through imaginary animals and other motifs.

As a mother of one, she seeks to express the “miracle of life,” nurtured within the womb, through the paper-cutting process. She sees the act of cutting—layer by layer, line by line—as mirroring the process of cellular division that forms new life.
To her, each line in her paper-cutting works represents nerves, blood vessels, and cells of a living organism.

Working from her base in Miyagi Prefecture, she actively exhibits both in Japan and internationally. In addition to holding numerous solo exhibitions such as “NEO POP PROJECT PART2” (2023, Kobe Hankyu / Hyogo), she has participated in many group exhibitions and art fairs, including “Onward – Navigating the Japanese Future” (2014, The Hive Art Gallery and Studios / USA), “The Art Fair + Plus–Ultra” (2016, Spiral / Tokyo), and “The International Paper Triennial” (2020, Musée de Charmey / Switzerland).

She has received numerous awards, including the Special Prize at the Louvre Museum Exhibition / JCAA Tomorrow’s Master Award (2013), and the Miyagi Prefectural Art Association Prize at the 60th Miyagi Prefectural Art Festival Painting Exhibition (Open Category, 2023).
She has also been selected for many competitions, including the 2014 Art Rookie Award “Debut.”