Whitestone Gallery Beijing is proud to present “Sense of Sacredness”, the first solo exhibition of Miwa Komatsu in Beijing, showcasing over 20 new works by the artist. The exhibition will run from 26 October to 14 December 2024. The opening reception will be held on 26 October from 3-5pm, with the artist in attendance.

Miwa Komatsu said, “I have visited Beijing many times and deeply immersed in the city’s cultural and artistic atmosphere. This time, I have created a series of works especially for Beijing based on my past experiences, as well as my creative concept ‘The Great Harmonization’. I hope that through this solo exhibition, I can have a spiritual exchange and dialogue with viewers and art lovers in Beijing, China and those from all over the world.”

The creative philosophy proposed by Miwa Komatsu, “The Great Harmonization”, is a theory of life suggesting that all living beings are equal at the soul level and that every entity can coexist while maintaining its individuality. At its core lies the primal sense of awe that every human possesses, a universal sacred feeling that transcends specific religions. Miwa Komatsu has named this the “Sense of Sacredness.”

“Through my paintings, viewers' souls are invited to engage with a realm inhabited by mythical beasts, prompting the question: ‘Is your soul beautiful?’ In this capacity, my art serves as a portal, facilitating access for all and fostering connections between souls and the mysterious world of mythical creatures. This, indeed, is my mission.”

-Miwa Komatsu

Miwa Komatsu has been highly receptive to the invisible world from her childhood: her early experience of being immersed in nature, surrounded by animals and rich natural landscapes, developed her distinctive view of life and death that all beings were created equal in soul. With an abundance of expressive power, she has presented her works under the theme of “Divine Spirits.” At the age of 20, her painting 49 Days was widely appraised for its extraordinary skills and personality, marking the beginning of her career as a professional artist. In 2015, Komatsu exhibited her Arita porcelain guardian dog at Chelsea Flower Show in London; the work won the golden prize and entered the collection of British Museum.

Miwa Komatsu is known for one of her artistic expressions, live painting, which is not just a performance, but a solemn ritual, an awakening to the “Sense of Sacredness”. In 2019, Miwa Komatsu captivated the audience in Cleveland with a live painting performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, USA. Continuing her artistic journey, in 2022 and 2023, she showcased her talents with performances at Itsukushima Shrine in Japan and Mont-Saint-Michel City in France, respectively, marking a new chapter in her art career.

Her recent exhibitions showcase a diverse range of themes and venues, including “Prayer for Nature” at Wood One Museum of Art (2020), “Miwa Komatsu: Prayer” at Whitestone Gallery Ginza (2020), “Miwa Komatsu Exhibition” at the Nagano Prefectural Art Museum (2021), “Transparent Chaos: Spirituality and Mandala” at Taro Okamoto Museum of Art (2022), “We Love Korea: Miwa Komatsu” at Whitestone Gallery Seoul (2023), “Miwa Komatsu: Sense of Sacredness” at Whitestone Gallery Singapore (2023), “Opening Up a New World of Art” at Ashikaga Museum of Art (2024), “Miwa Komatsu: Sense of Sacredness” at Whitestone Gallery Taipei (2024), and “Zipangu – Contemporary artists who have run through the Heisei era” at Saga Prefectural Art Museum (2024).

The works of Miwa Komatsu are in the collection of prominent museums and institutions such as the World Trade Center, To-ji Temple in Kyoto, Nagano Prefectural Art Museum.