MICHIMATA Aoi
aaploit
2026
Artist Statement
Michimata Aoi continues to work in woodblock printing, addressing the positions and choices individuals face within social structures. Referencing "Kafka's Staircase," a concept proposed by social activist and writer Ikuta Takeshi—descending the stairs is easy, but ascending is difficult—she has depicted the struggles of ascending, descending, and remaining in place, as well as the relief and anxiety that follow one's choices.
Through progressive carving and layering, the woodblock transforms, and the same image cannot be printed after completion. This irreversibility resonates with her themes. The figures in her work do not tell dramatic stories; within a gentle visual language, they open a space where each viewer weaves their own narrative.
path of innocence -1, 2025
path of innocence-2, 2025
junction, 2025
Kafka’s Staircase No.3, 2023
Kafka’s Staircase No.4, 2023
Biography
Michimata Aoi works in woodblock printing, continuously questioning one's position and choices within social structures. Through a process of progressive carving and layering, the woodblock transforms with each impression. Although edition numbers are assigned, the same image cannot be printed again after completion. Generated irreversibly despite being a reproductive medium, each work emerges as a singular existence — just as each person's experience differs from another. MFA in Printmaking, Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University, 2025. Major solo exhibitions include relief (Sapporo Art Park Museum, 2025) and community of (aaploit, 2025). Her work is held in the collection of Arts Maebashi. Born in 2000 in Hokkaido, Japan.
CV
EDUCATION
B.F.A. in Printmaking, Department of Oil Painting, Musashino Art University, Tokyo
M.F.A. in Printmaking, Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University, Tokyo
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
relief, Sapporo Art Park Museum, Hokkaido
community of, aaploit, Tokyo
SPRING, aaploit, Tokyo
Michimata Aoi Exhibition, anonymous art project, Tokyo
own pace, aaploit, Tokyo
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
New Acquisitions / Collection + Women Artists, Each World, Arts Maebashi, Gunma
The Joy of Being With, Gallery COLORBEAT, Seoul, South Korea
Emerging Echoes: Presenting Realism, Gallery COLORBEAT, Seoul, South Korea
The 48th National University Print Exhibition, Ueda City Museum of Art, Nagano
ART FAIRS
Art Fair Tokyo 2025, Tokyo (aaploit)
INAS 2025 – Incheon Art Show, Incheon, South Korea (aaploit)
2024
AFAF - Art Fair Asia Fukuoka, Fukuoka (aaploit)
WORKSHOPS
Printmaking Workshop, Arts Maebashi, Gunma
Spin and Surprise!? Try Rotational Printmaking!, Kiyoshi Saito Museum of Art, Fukushima
AWARDS & GRANTS
Excellence Award, 3rd anonymous collection
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Arts Maebashi
SELECTED PRESS
Art Collectors, No.191, February 2025: Dialogue with Yuji Akimoto
Gendai Shiso (Contemporary Thought), January 2024 Special Issue on Kafka: Work featured in essay by Ikuta Takeshi
Fukushi no Hiroba, December 2023 & January 2024: Work featured in column by Ikuta Takeshi
Copyright & Usage
© 2026 MICHIMATA Aoi and aaploit
All artworks, images, and texts in this document are protected by copyright and owned by the artist and aaploit.
Portfolio & High-Resolution Images
A comprehensive portfolio and high-resolution image files for publication, research, or curatorial use are available upon request. For inquiries, please contact: info@aaploit.com
aaploit
TMK Building 2F, 1-21-17 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
info@aaploit.com
https://aaploit.com/en/artists/michimata-aoi