About Yoshino Hirota's paintings.

The expression is neither realistic nor cartoonish, there is a sense of reality in it, and even though they look like children, you can feel the personality of one person. When I look at Yoshino Hirota's works, which are based on motifs of human faces, for some reason I get affirmative tears of symphathy after looking at them for a while. Unspeakable emotions are expressed and I feel the presence of a certain heart. The dignified and tense screen gives you a sense of being refreshed, and you can feel nostalgic emotions in a modern atmosphere at the same time.

The psychological descriptions expressed in the faces of the people depicted in Hirota's works are very contemporaneous and realistic, and I can often relate to them from the bottom of my heart, saying "Yes! I can sympathise with them. The expressions have a quality that makes it possible to read the current social situation. In addition, the subtleties of emotion are depicted with incomparable nuance. The work depicts the state of the human heart, which is not easily touched, quietly but with a touch of reality. In her unique style, she expresses the subtleties of the human heart, which are difficult to convey in the usual realistic realism.

Why are we so interested in people's facial expressions? When one is interested in people's expressions, one is already placing oneself in the midst of the world's fundamental problems.

Hirota's work does not have an optimistic viewpoint, as if what is depicted can be immediately translated into language. She paints with respect for the subtleties that can only be expressed in ambiguous terms when using language. In opposion to negation of ambiguity, an objection to homogenisation, levelling and stereotypical thinking. It shows 'diversity' in the true sense of the word, through the individuality of the human face. The work makes use of the characteristics of painting, which expresses itself not through words but through lines and colours.

Yoshino Hirota's fascinating 'paintings' are not merely works of children or human faces, but also convey to us through her pictures what is important to us, quietly stirring our emotions and making us feel the depth of life.
It can also be said that by depicting people's faces, the work honestly expresses the value of the heart, which is almost lost in the great currents of contemporary society.

The work expresses, in a vague but fresh way, the sense of reality and worldview held by individuals living in an age when the way of looking at things and thinking, which were once thought to be certain and on which we should live our lives, are no longer certain.

The images that can be read from the expressions on the faces of the painted characters invite the viewer's sympathy, and the work, which expresses through the subtle expressions of the characters the feeling of wanting to share but not being able to, shows a perspective on the nature of the relationship between 'one and other' that is common to all times.

Yoshino Hirota creates works that deeply penetrate people's hearts and we are moved by the act of expression that places value on 'purity'.

Although her works, which are created by cutting wood, stretching cotton cloth and painting with acrylic paints, are generally placed in the category of Western-style painting, the style of expression and the impression that can be felt from her works are rather similar to Japanese-style painting. It can be considered to be an example of how Western-style painting in Japan has been digested to this extent.

The artist's firmness that can be felt in the works of Yoshino Hirota, including this point, can be said to be a value that should be respected.

Yoshino Hirota
1987　Born in Kyoto
2011　Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts,
Department of Fine Arts, Oil Painting
・Having one person show since 2010-2022
・Participating many group shows since 2009 including
2013 Kyoto Art Biennale (Sankei Newspaper Prize, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art)
2013 Kyoto Exhibition (Mayor’s Prize, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art)
2016 Anniversary Exhibition' 2016 Kyoten
2017 Kyoto Art for Tomorrow - Selected New Artists from Kyoto 2017

This work depicts a scene from a popular athletic competition called "Centipede Race," which is held at elementary schools in Japan.
The artist was interested in the fact that several people, each with a different personality, become one animal.

Each of them is watching "something" that is simply thin and long.　　
An action that seems to have no meaning, but maybe it does.
The common feelings, atmosphere and time of those present.
The Artist wanted to depict the different feelings and sensations within the unified action.