Ayaka Asano 浅野綾花

Born in Shizuoka, in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Ayaka Asano is a printmaker who captures the intimate, fleeting moments of the everyday. Drawing from her childhood in the Japanese countryside, her work frequently weaves together natural motifs—mountains, rice fields, and wild botanicals—with the quiet residue of daily life.

Her practice is deeply rooted in the experience of living with things we cannot hold onto, exploring the inherent sadness and joy of passing time. This habit of documentation began with her junior high school diaries. Unable to discard ordinary scraps, memos, and the fragments of passing words, Asano treats these small remnants as the focal point of her work, transforming the overlooked into something quietly precious.

Having honed her skills in copperplate etching at the Osaka University of Arts, Asano works predominantly on a miniature scale, creating prints with unusual, gem-like silhouettes. Her physical pieces carry a deeply personal, tactile quality. By incorporating subtle hand-painted watercolours, hand-knit lace, recycled materials, and delicate paper frames made in collaboration with the artist Eryngii, she crafts works that are designed to be held and admired intimately, inviting the viewer to discover the quiet story within each one.

Since 2011, Asano has exhibited her award-winning, narrative-driven printmaking extensively across Asia, including major shows in Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Busan, and Taichung.