Mizuho Goto "Soap, ruler"

Shimokitazawa Arts

Starts 5/13

Artists

Mizuho Goto

Shimokitazawa Arts is pleased to present soap, ruler, a solo exhibition by Goto Mizuho. Born in Tokyo in 2001, Goto graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, majoring in Oil Painting, at Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2023, and completed her MFA in Oil Painting at the university's Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2026. She received the Student Special Award at the IDEMITSU Art Award 2023 and has since emerged as one of the most promising young artists of her generation, participating in numerous exhibitions in recent years.

Goto's practice is grounded in extensive research into the Holocaust, as well as other historical events involving war, violence, and discrimination—subjects that have long occupied her attention. Having personally endured severe lung disease and undergone a lung transplant, she feels a profound connection to those who have suffered oppression, identifying with the breathlessness of climbing stairs and the leaden weight of an ailing body.

Yet in striking contrast to the gravity of these themes, Goto's paintings employ familiar, everyday motifs—avocados, rulers, soap—imbuing her works with an intentional lightness. Rather than treating humanity's darkest histories as distant, monumental subjects, she confronts them as issues that persist in our everyday lives. This approach reflects her unwavering belief that such realities must be faced directly, without looking away.

At a time when major conflicts continue to unfold around the world, Goto's quiet, deeply personal form of resistance resonates with particular urgency, speaking powerfully to all who encounter her work.

Schedule

May 13 (Wed) 2026-May 24 (Sun) 2026