A figure in profile appears beneath willow leaves within an oval picture plane. The finely striped kimono, gathered hair, and slight lift at the corner of the mouth establish a poised flow inside the square frame. The soft ground and open space retain the lightness of a passing breeze while preserving a quiet distance from the model.
Ai-no-kaze is a gentle sea breeze that blows from spring into summer, especially along the Hokuriku coast of the Sea of Japan. When I first learned the name of this wind, I thought of this model, who comes from Hokuriku. I created the work while remembering the time we spent together as she smiled softly and often told me stories from her childhood.
Nanami Shimoju was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, in 1995 and graduated in 2019 from the Japanese Painting course at Joshibi University of Art and Design. Working with traditional nihonga materials such as white hemp paper, sumi ink, and mineral pigments, she values the distance and relationship between artist and model, allowing an inner presence to emerge through gesture, gaze, clothing, and surrounding space. She appeared in episode 165 of BS Fuji’s Break Zenya and has presented her work in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and department stores in Japan.