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goe
Whether in painting, literature, or music, expressions that truly strike the human heart at its deepest level are never born of technique or trends. They emerge only when events that have taken place within an individual become inescapable pain, transform into wordless cries, and are ultimately sublimated and given form. Nothing pierces our hearts more directly than expression born from experiences so intense they feel as though they might tear the soul apart. goe’s works belong precisely to this realm.
She took up her brush once again three years ago, after suffering a profound collapse in both physical and emotional balance—her first return to painting in fifteen years. A hysterectomy, a surgery that shook the very foundations of her body and identity as a woman; the separation from her beloved husband; and the irreversible farewell to her cherished dog, who had lived beside her like family day after day—amid losses and pain so great that life itself was called into question, she was drawn back to the act of painting.
The works born while carrying these burdens powerfully seize the viewer’s gaze and refuse to let go. And yet, curiously, what we find there is not the darkness of despair sinking to its depths. Rather, from deep within the canvas rises something like a quiet, breathing light—one that appears only after passing through the darkest of nights.
Now, in her mid-forties, the countless experiences she has accumulated—absorbing pain, swallowing grief, and continuing to live nonetheless—have nurtured her, guiding her toward the presence of a mature soul. For her, the act of painting is not only a form of expression, but also a prayer, a means of embracing herself anew, and undoubtedly a source of healing. Indeed, she says plainly, “For me, there is nothing but painting.” And with a steady, unwavering gaze, she adds that she wishes to create works that bring people peace and hope.
Gateway to Paradise (2024) depicts the view seen from the window of the house where she was living at the time. In the garden she loved so dearly, wisteria blossoms cascaded in clusters, figs swelled with ripening fruit, and birds and butterflies visited almost every morning. Surrounding the image is a pitch-black frame, which seems to symbolize the heaviness that weighed upon her heart during that period. Yet beyond the square window—its free, fluid form evocative of Gaudí—unchangingly beautiful nature unfolds. No matter how deeply a person may be immersed in suffering, if one lifts one’s gaze even briefly, one sees the world continuing as if nothing had happened: flowers bloom, fruit ripens, and life circulates endlessly. goe quietly and sincerely captures this stern yet gentle presence of nature.
Two years ago, she lost her beloved dog, Wan. As she lived her days in tears, one day she was handed a bouquet of mimosa flowers. Glancing down, she noticed a small red ladybug resting on the blossoms. Ladybugs have long been interpreted as “messengers of God,” and in that instant, goe felt that it was Wan’s soul, transformed, coming to see her once more. Red is the color of love. As her heart filled with affection for Wan, who had borrowed the form of a ladybug, red began to overflow across the canvas. Before long, the world was enveloped in vivid, juicy colors—like a watermelon, her favorite fruit. This became Ladybug Watermelon (2026). The polka-dot pattern of the ladybug also resonates naturally with the expressions of Yayoi Kusama, the artist she deeply admires, creating a quiet yet meaningful dialogue across time and sensibility.
We are all born into this world alone, and we leave it alone. Yet, along the way, we are drawn to others: completing one another, forming pairs, and living out our respective roles. When the presence of that counterpart is suddenly lost, one is forced once again to confront an overwhelming solitude. The blue that spreads across Pair (2026) seems to embody such solitude and silence. The pale blue soul and the deep indigo soul appear at once connected and drifting apart, quietly reflecting our own relationships back to us.
From the lower left to the upper right of the canvas, a slender yet unmistakable yellow line cuts through the space. This is a “light of hope” that does not vanish even in darkness—a belief, almost like a prayer, that somewhere in this world there must exist a being who resonates with oneself. Such a conviction is gently embedded within the work.
From early childhood until 28, goe continued to draw and paint. In those years, her papers and canvases were composed solely of black and white. But when physical and emotional imbalance pulled her away from everyday life and reunited her with painting three years ago, the world regained its color. Her canvases today are filled with vibrant hues. It is not that the world itself has changed; rather, her way of seeing the world has transformed. Having passed through profound suffering and gained a deeper human presence, goe now paints the world in color, layering it with hope. With a quiet tenderness, her works touch the hearts of viewers and gently invite them to lift their gaze toward the future.
goe was born in Iwate Prefecture in 1980 and is a self-taught artist based in Tokyo. She was selected for the open-call exhibition The 25th Japan–France Contemporary Art World Exhibition (2024), organized by the Japan International Artists Society (JIAS) and held at The National Art Center, Tokyo. She has also participated in the group exhibition JAPONICA 2026 (2026), presented by Reijinsha Co., Ltd. at Linda Farrell Gallery in Paris. She is scheduled to exhibit this autumn at the Salon d’Automne (Société du Salon d’Automne), held at Place de la Concorde in Paris. In addition, a two-page feature on her work will appear in the March 2026 issue of République des Arts (Paris).
—JC