Chikuwamiel (ちくわミエル) is an interdisciplinary artist based in the Kansai region of Japan. Self-taught, she has developed a unique and imaginative worldview through her practice, actively presenting her work both domestically and internationally. While painting remains at the core of her work, she extends her creative practice to character design, 3D digital art, and video production.

Chikuwamiel’s work delicately bridges imagination and reality. She projects imagined stories onto characters and landscapes, allowing viewers to experience a sense of adventure and discovery. The characters in her work are neither adults nor children, and they do not adhere to clear boundaries of gender, ethnicity, or species. Instead, they exist as neutral, soul-like embodiments, serving as surfaces onto which viewers can freely project their own memories and emotions. She places strong emphasis on color and light, using warm illumination and vivid contrasts to create atmospheres that are simultaneously familiar and dreamlike, achieving a subtle balance between nostalgia and mystery.

This exhibition, themed “Finding Small Lights in an Unpredictable World,” reflects her belief in the power of imagination—not as an escape from reality, but as a force that enriches it. Chikuwamiel’s works act as gentle beams of light, softly illuminating the viewer’s inner world and awakening the warmth and hope often forgotten in everyday life.