Mariko Enomoto was born in 1982 in Saitama, Japan. She currently lives and works in Tokyo. After studying fashion, Enomoto began painting independently. She has created cover illustrations for major literary works including Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Cho Nam-joo) and the Yomiuri Shimbun serial novel SISTERS IN YELLOW (Mieko Kawakami), as well as visual work for theatre and film.

Focusing on faceless portrait paintings, her recent practice explores mythology, narratives, poetry, and an oil painting series inspired by her daughters. Her monograph Sky, Flowers, Melancholy was published by Geijutsu Shinbunsha.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

After graduating from a fashion vocational school, I worked as a stylist’s assistant. The stylist I worked under collaborated with various photographers and painters, creating highly artistic visual projects. Witnessing those environments gradually intensified my desire to create something from scratch through painting—something I had loved since childhood.

From there, I began teaching myself how to paint while working multiple part-time jobs. I initially expanded my career as an illustrator, but over time, my desire to create work with deeper artistic integrity grew stronger, leading me to my current practice.

I have taken a long detour to arrive here. And in many ways, I am still on that detour.

How do you approach balancing the fantastical with a sense of coherence or reality in your compositions?

For me, visionary elements are not something separate—they are scattered throughout everyday life. So I have never been particularly conscious of balancing the two.

Stories emerge from my usual walking paths, the color of the sky, the way birds move, or even the nape of a child’s neck. Perhaps the difference lies in whether what I see is simply observed as it is, or filtered through the lens of my inner vision.

What is your creative process like? Do you follow a routine or work spontaneously?

For me, creation is something alive, and it is deeply influenced by my emotional state at the time. Sometimes a work expands as I paint, while at other times I erase large parts of it, ending up with something completely different from the initial sketch.

Rather than following a fixed routine, my process shifts slightly with each piece. At the core, I collect small “irregularities” or moments from daily life that leave an impression on me, and develop them into rough sketches while imagining the narratives behind those motifs.

In what ways did your studies in fashion influence your approach to painting and illustration?

It has had a profound influence on my work. Fashion can reflect the spirit of an era, but more importantly, it is a powerful element that reveals a person’s background, philosophy, and personal story.

It also represents roles, and at times, a form of intention or declaration.

How do you approach exhibiting your work? What are your goals when showing your art in public spaces?

With each exhibition, I learn how to better communicate my worldview. I believe it is important to remain flexible and receptive to the perspectives and sensibilities of those present at the site, as unexpected “chemical reactions” can occur through that process.

Once the exhibition begins, if even one person stops in front of a painting and senses some kind of “irregularity” or discomfort, I feel that it becomes a guiding thread for my next work.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect from you in the future?

While continuing to create works for solo and group exhibitions, I am also interested in exploring a deeper connection between my work and literature. I would like to incorporate elements of narrative and poetry into my future practice.

Above all, I believe that being able to leave behind work that I genuinely feel connected to is, in itself, a form of happiness.

Text and photo courtesy of Mariko Enomoto

Website: http://www.mrkenmt.com/
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