“Inhale,” oil on canvas.
For Japanese artist Miho Hirano, boundaries are designed to be breached. No matter how disparate, the elements in her artwork serve as complements rather than contrasts to one another.
Hirano’s latest solo exhibition, Boundary, perfectly captures this impulse. It is primarily concerned with the relationship between life and death. These forces, however, aren’t illustrated in competition, but instead as intimately connected.
“I have become aware that death is always nearby, as expressed in such inextricably linked phrases as ‘life and death have each other’s backs’ or ‘life and death are next door,’ ” Hirano tells My Modern Met.
What Hirano’s artwork seeks, then, is a “contact point,” one that can be expressed in a single, unified image.
“By depicting the ‘borderline’ between life and death, I thought it would be possible to express the danger and at the same time the ‘contact point’ where the living and the dead touch each other with their souls and have a dialogue,” Hirano explains.
Given these intentions, it’s unsurprising that Hirano achieves such compelling canvases. Inhale, for instance, depicts a woman with her head nearly swallowed by water, her hair snaking across the glossy surface. Goldfish circle her even above the water, as if reminding her that, in only a few moments, she, too, can and will be submerged.
Peaceful Time offers a similar narrative, portraying another woman floating through water with swarming fish. In both artworks, water fulfills the function of a “contact point,” recalling life, death, and rebirth all at once.
Flowers also figure strongly in the exhibition. When combined with the sensuality of Hirano’s painted women, the flowers become far more delicate and almost transcendent. Like water, they’re precarious symbols, reflecting their dual roles as celebratory and funereal.
“I wanted to use the language of flowers to convey a more detailed message,” Hirano says, “while the femininity of the works are an expression of my own thoughts and awareness as a woman.”
Taken in its entirety, Hirano’s exhibition plays with expectations, blending naturalistic and organic imagery to reveal a range of possible interpretations. Boundary is now on view at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles until January 25, 2025.
Japanese artist Miho Hirano’s new solo exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery explores the precarious relationship between life and death.
“Peaceful Time,” oil on canvas.
“Together Forever,” oil on canvas.
“Charms,” oil on canvas.
Boundary, on view until January 25, 2025, showcases Hirano’s exceptional ability in uniting disparate and competing elements through her delicate compositions.
“Compassion,” oil on canvas.
“Deceive Myself,” oil on canvas.
“Distant Loved One,” oil on canvas.
Hirano often incorporates naturalistic imagery, such as flowers, water, and animals.
“Girl’s Mind 1,” oil on canvas.
“Sleep of Oblivion,” oil on canvas.
“You’re a Light in My Heart,” oil on canvas.