TEXT & PHOTO: MIHOKO SHIDA
(For Thai, press here)
These works were featured in my solo exhibition, ‘Borderless,’ held in Tokyo in March 2026. The title carries multiple meanings, and I create these works with a prayer and a wish for a world where all boundaries—national borders, racial divides, personal limitations, and the divide between humanity and nature—have been erased, imagining how peaceful such a world would be.
Additionally, while butterflies appear frequently in this exhibition, I view them as the embodiment of the soul and a bridge to the afterlife. This also symbolizes the borderless connection between the world of the deceased—including my late mother—and our own world.
When I create my work, I feel as though emotions deep within me emerge, and the forms take shape naturally.
At the request of the gallery, this solo exhibition was my first to focus primarily on human sculptures. I was a little nervous about how it would be received, but both the expressions on the faces of the figures I created and those of the visitors were very serene. Since this exhibition was also intended to eliminate the boundaries between myself and the viewers, I believe it turned out very well.
My wish is for everyone to live peacefully and serenely in a ‘Borderless’ world.
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Mihoko Shida is a wire sculpture artist. After many years working in magazine photography, she began creating three-dimensional wire sculptures in 2019. She has since exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and abroad. Most of her pieces are created without preliminary sketches; instead, she works spontaneously, as if ‘painting in space.’ Moving forward, Mihoko seeks to continue exploring the possibilities of wire while further expanding her range of expression.
