Ayaïro

Ayaïro (born 1991 in Tokyo) is a self-taught Japanese painter, known for her children running through satoyama landscapes, the cultivated countryside of Japanese mountain villages. She has drawn since childhood. It was through contact with other cultures that she grew closer to her roots and to the satoyama of her home town, which became her subject.

Ayaïro developed her style through personal study. In 2020, the Japanese magazine Illustration awarded her the prize of excellence in its 37th The Choice selection. Her first solo exhibition, "Child of Satoyama", opened in Tokyo in 2021. The following year, she exhibited at Lighthouse Gallery in Tokyo, Galerie Ovo in Taipei and Waluso Gallery in London.

In 2023, Galerie Zberro presented "Gifts from the Ancient Times" in Paris. The gallery Contemporary Tokyo has given her several solo exhibitions, including "Memory of Water" in 2025. The same year, Ayaïro completed "Fireworks", the 48th artist's room at the Park Hotel Tokyo.

Her paintings combine present-day landscapes with memories of early childhood. The line is thick and black, and the colours are laid down in bold flat areas. According to Ayaïro, a painting starts from a sensation or a memory, and gives form to an impression that had remained hazy.