That's the spirit

Japanese artist Miwa Komatsu returns with her live-painting ritual

Nagano-born Miwa Komatsu had quite a 2018 indeed. The 34-year-old Japanese artist came to Hong Kong with Whitestone Gallery and performed one of her live-painting showcases at Hart Hall in H Queen's. She's since had sold-out exhibitions in Tokyo, Taipei and Singapore, and became an ambassador for Christian Dior along the way. Now she's back with a month-long exhibition at Whitestone, along with another live work being performed at Pacific Place, for which she'll be drawing vibrant energy from the city.

Komatsu paints divine creatures and guardian lion dogs – inspiration she has taken from different religions, beliefs and mythological texts, among which Shinto has the most powerful influence on her creations. Komatsu believes that spirits and guardian deities exist around us, and she has the ability to mix and unify various elements, making her work like a link between the people and those spirits. Thus, as much as she's a painter and artist, she believes her work has the power to reach a state of harmony and even heal others.

This instinctive and totemic painter's new work is becoming more dynamic and experimental, as she has started using 3D-printing technology to assist her work on porcelain, giving her art even more dimensions and possibilities. For Komatsu, her art world seems positively unlimited. (Live painting on March 30, 3pm, Level 1, Pacific Place, Admiralty)