이토 아야

Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan in 1987. She received her MFA in Painting from the Graduate School of Kyoto City University of Arts, in 2011. During her studies, she participated in an exchange program at the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom. From 2016 to 2018, she worked on her artistic practice in Dublin, Ireland. In 2018, she was selected for the Artist-in-Studio Programme at the Royal Hibernian Academy, where she carried out a six-month residency. She is currently based in Wakayama. Major solo exhibitions include “PASSING WIND” (Tomio Koyama Gallery Roppongi, Tokyo, 2024), “Genome Poem – Collaboration with Fujimura Family” (Takashimaya Osaka Store 6F Gallery NEXT, Osaka [traveled to Kawakyu Museum, Wakayama], 2024), “Unfortunately I love you” (YIRI ARTS, Taipei, Taiwan, 2023), “Aya Ito: Magic Spittle” (HIVE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, Beijing, 2023) and “Lava drop ~ Aya Ito debut art book RAPID RABBIT HOLE publication exhibition ~” (gallery ON THE HILL, Tokyo, 2020). Major group exhibitions include “Yanbaru Art Festival 2022-2023” (Various venues in Northern Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, 2023), “Dreamscape Estuary” (Unit London, UK, 2023), “Aya Ito & Richard Gorman ‘Sea Both Sides’” (8/ ART GALLERY/ Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, 2019), “Rokko Meets Art: Art Walk 2017” (Rokko Garden Terrace, etc., Hyogo, 2017), “Wakayama and Kansai Artists: The Real of the Real of the Real” (Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, 2015) and “Resonance: Art That Resonates with People” (Suntory Museum [Tempozan], 2010) With their maelstrom of dark vibrant colors such as orange, red, green, purple, and yellow reminiscent of artificial neon, remarkably composed backdrops where time and space appear distorted, and aloof figures or objects that are enlarged, minimized, or seem suspended in mid-air—Ito’s works instill viewers with a peculiar sensation, as if peering into a languid and weightless space. Ito describes her work as presenting “meaningless connections,” akin to “the way people’s lives briefly intersect with one another as they come and go across the scramble crossing in Shibuya.” There protagonists and the scenery are devoid of any coherent context; rather, they are conceived through a series of chance encounters, where the artist’s reveries lead to further fantasy. The halation of these foreign entities is evocative of an absurd nighttime dream, implying a sense of connection between Ito’s works and surrealism. Another notable feature of Ito’s work is her production process. Ito physically constructs worlds of chaos, which she then photographs—her finished paintings in essence being realistic depictions of these compositions. She creates character-like entities, and combines them with miscellaneous items such as fabric, plants, toys, and cellophane to create a diorama, then takes numerous photographs and selects a specific image from which to produce a faithful rendition on canvas. The way she enhances the precision of her work through this painstaking process could be perceived as an experiment that aims to discover surprise and joy beyond imagination. Recent collaborations including her two-person show with Richard Gorman, as well as projects with The Essential Store and the Fujimura Family have also enabled her to generate a sense of exuberance through encounters with other talents. Awards include the Arida City Cultural Award for Distinguished Service (2022), the Wakayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Cultural Encouragement (2021), the Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi 2011 shu uemura Prize, Judge’s prize (Yuko Hasegawa), Art Award Tokyo, Runner-up Prize (2009) and Art Camp in Kunst-Bau, Suntory Prize (2007).