Shinichi Imanaka

Japan-based painter and illustrator.



[Artist Statement]

Art-making is a process of internal dialogue, mindfulness, and a journey guided by serendipity. I strive to uncover the unseen and encounter the new. I explore my everyday life, memories, and inner world to uncover fragments of personal mythology.

I aim for my artworks to stimulate viewers' imaginations, intertwining with their daily lives, and perhaps even disrupting them. These images are open to interpretation, allowing viewers to craft their own narratives, potentially becoming part of their lifelong memories. The ambiguity and enigma of my artworks are preserved intact and refuse to present any simplistic answers. I try to create images full of rich and miscellaneous questions open to many interpretations.

I avoid adhering too closely to my cultural background and personal attributes, as it may prevent me from encountering the unseen or experiencing new things.

I continue this journey, reflecting on the dynamic and chaotic development of many different cultures and how each culture has gained its uniqueness and maturity through its tremendous cross-cultural influences, confluences, and exchanges over a long history.

I would be delighted to create artworks that exu...

BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990.

[Select Solo Exhibitions]
2018 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2017 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2016 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2015 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2012 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2011 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2000 Salon 211 at CAP, Kobe, Japan

[Select Group Exhibitions]
2023 Tagboat Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Tagboat Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan
2016 Art Kaohsiung Air Fair, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
2014 NY Art Wave Project @ Fountain Art Fair 2014
2012 Gallery 301, Kobe, Japan
2011 Art Hall, Kobe, Japan
2009 Gallery Dazzle, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Yasashii Yokan Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2007 OPA Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2001 Puert Rico Museum of Art, San Juan, Puert Rico
2000 The Japan Foundation Forum, Tokyo, Japan
2000 Nan. O. Bacterium, Tokyo, Japan
1999 Asia/Oceania Research Center, Havana, Cuba
1999 Fujita Vante Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1998 Kansai Int'l Center of Int'l Exchange Foundation, Osaka, Japan
1997 Kiev Art Academy, Kiev, Ukraine
1997 Gallery Raku at Kyoto Art University, Kyoto, Japan
1997 Fujita Vante Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1995 '95 International Contemporary Art Fair in Yokohama, Japan
1994 Forum Yokohama Exhibition, Yokohama, Japan
1994 Budapest City Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
1993 Japan Culture Society in Rome, Italy
1993 Tohoku Art & Technolog...