MOYAN

Born in 1991 in Saitama Prefecture. She completed her Master’s degree at Tokyo University of the Arts.

Using iconic girls’ toys such as Licca-chan and Barbie dolls as motifs, she paints works themed on “human drama,” incorporating issues related to gender, family dynamics, and societal expectations. Her major exhibitions include the solo shows “DOLLs” (2017) and “ICON” (2018) at un petit GARAGE, as well as “KUMA EXHIBITION 2018” (Spiral). She has received numerous awards, including the 3rd CAF Award – Hiromi Yamaguchi Prize (2016) and selection for the Shell Art Award 2016.

Her work “DOG” features a small dog figurine that appears in the everyday lives of dolls—painted half realistically and half abstractly—and transformed into a wearable painting accessory. She explains that while T-shirts served as a form of media in the 1960s, perhaps in the coming era, accessories will take on this role.

As a painter, MOYAN creates works based on a “human drama enacted by dolls,” using dolls and dollhouses. The inherent duality of dolls—as both people and objects—reveals hidden “interactions” that we do not usually perceive in society.

MOYAN works at Morooka Seisakusho, a shared studio and artist-run space in Saitama Prefecture. Studio members include Tsuneta Hirakawa (representative) and Tomomi Kondo. The first floor of Morooka Seisakusho contains a large workspace suitable for producing sizable works, while the second floor serves as an exhibition and event space. It is run with support from volunteer members.

For the accessory featured in this exhibition, she incorporated a single pearl into the painting, pairing it with a pearl-like chain to create a unisex piece.

Awards & Recognitions

•    2015 – 10th Geidai Art Plaza Grand Prize Exhibition, Selected
　　GEIDAI Scouting @ Geidai Gallery, GAM Award
　　Tokyo University of the Arts Kume Keiichiro Scholarship Foundation, Certified
•    2016 – Shell Art Award 2016, Selected
　　3rd CAF Award, Hiromi Yamaguchi Prize
•    2017 – Kuma Foundation, 1st-term Creator Scholarship, Certified
•    2018 – Tokyo University of the Arts Hirayama Ikuo Scholarship, Certified
•    2021 – Kuma Foundation Activity Support Program, Certified