Ayane Mikagi “-jamais ve-“
I visited Ayane Mikagi’s solo exhibition “-jamais ve-.” The venue is Seibu Shibuya.
Selected as the image artist for the Seibu Shibuya spring promotion “Hyakka-sai 2019,” she is now holding this solo exhibition to coincide with it.
Works from “The Future of Painting — FACE 2019 Award Artists Exhibition,” which had just concluded at the Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art, were also on view and available for purchase.
“Jamais vu” is a French term, translated in Japanese as “mishikan” (“unseen sensation”).
It may be an unfamiliar word, but you have probably heard of “Déjà vu” — the sensation of having already experienced something.
In simple terms, “Déjà vu” is the feeling of having experienced something before, even though you actually haven’t.
“Jamais vu” is the antonym of “Déjà vu” — “the sensation of feeling that a familiar scene or thing is completely new, as if you had never experienced it before.” (source: Weblio dictionary)
By showing my work here, I hoped visitors might feel as if they were seeing or visiting Seibu Shibuya — a store they have been to many times — for the very first time. That is why I chose this title.
Ayane Mikagi is a painter who graduated from the Japanese Painting department of Tama Art University.
Her works of women with distinctive hair leave a strong impression, but the vivid colors of the begonia-motif “Sumika” series — used for this collaboration’s in-store decor as well — are also wonderful.
Beyond that, she has broadened her range, and a wide variety of works were on view.
An artist opening new possibilities for Japanese painting. It was a wonderful exhibition.
