A self-taught digital artist who learned Adobe Illustrator while studying economics at Hosei University in the 1990s, Chiho Aoshima became one of the first interns at Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki collective and went on to create some of the most ambitious large-scale print installations of her generation. Working exclusively with Bezier curves in Illustrator, she can scale her compositions to any dimension without loss of clarity: a technical choice with considerable consequences for the art world.
Key facts
- Born
- 1974, Japanese[1]
- Wikipedia
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Biography
Her signature series, City Glow, measuring 32.5 metres long and 4.8 metres high, transformed London's Gloucester Road tube station in 2006 before travelling to New York's 14th Street/Union Square subway. The work draws on ukiyo-e woodblock aesthetics and the compressed surfaces of the Superflat movement. Series such as Strawberry Fields incorporate the rokurokubi (long-necked woman) from yokai tradition, folded into soft-hued surreal landscapes where nature encroaches on urban decay.
Her female figures function as autobiographical avatars: shojo-style characters whose cuteness tilts steadily into the grotesque. Aoshima has described them as expressions of vulnerability, deflecting the pressures of the real world through fantastical imagery. The juxtaposition is deliberate: skulls wreathed in blooming flowers, demons in pastel, the monstrous rendered gently.
The Red-Eyed Tribe, originally made for an Issey Miyake advertisement, was scaled to 15 by 52 feet for the 2001 Superflat exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. A 2006 residency at Artpace in San Antonio extended her practice into sculpture and animation. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Seattle Art Museum.
Timeline
- 1974Born in Japan.
- 1990Studied economics at Hosei University while learning Adobe Illustrator.
- 1990Became an early intern at Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki collective.
- 2001Her work, "The Red-Eyed Tribe", was displayed at the Superflat exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. It was originally created for an Issey Miyake advertisement.
- 2006Undertook a residency at Artpace in San Antonio, expanding her practice into sculpture and animation.
- 2006Her series, "City Glow", was installed at Gloucester Road tube station in London before travelling to New York's 14th Street/Union Square subway.
- 2006Her work entered the permanent collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art.
- 2006Her work entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
- 2006Her work entered the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum.
Notable Works
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Related Artists
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chiho Aoshima known for?
Chiho Aoshima is known for creating large-scale print installations. Her signature series, City Glow, transformed London's Gloucester Road tube station in 2006 before travelling to New York.Who was Chiho Aoshima?
Chiho Aoshima is a self-taught digital artist who learned Adobe Illustrator while studying economics at Hosei University in the 1990s. She became one of the first interns at Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki collective and went on to create some of the most ambitious large-scale print installations of her generation.What was Chiho Aoshima's art style?
Chiho Aoshima's art style draws on ukiyo-e woodblock aesthetics and the compressed surfaces of the Superflat movement. Series such as Strawberry Fields incorporate the rokurokubi (long-necked woman) from yokai tradition, folded into soft-hued surreal landscapes where nature encroaches on urban decay.When was Chiho Aoshima born?
Chiho Aoshima was born in 1974[1].
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Chiho Aoshima.
- [1] wikipedia Wikipedia: Chiho Aoshima Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
- [2] book Dorling Kindersley, Artists: Inspiring Stories of the World's Most Creative Minds Used for: biography.
- [3] book guggenheim-destin00arak Used for: biography.
- [4] book Shozo Sato, Sumi-e Used for: biography.
- [5] book Cole, Bruce, Titian and Venetian painting _ 1450-1590 Used for: biography.
- [6] book Cole, Bruce, Titian and Venetian painting _ 1450-1590_1 Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-24. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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