Nishiyama Minako

Minako Nishiyama is an artist who garnered attention with her three-dimensional works that incorporate Japanese ‘girl culture’, including The Pink House (1991), reminiscent of the life-size Barbie house-like ‘Licca-chan’s house’, and Takarazuka Revue’s backdrop-esque pieces. She is one of the leading figures who integrated the unique Japanese subculture as the medium for works of art.

Two works from Nishiyama’s Telephone Project, ♡Erica’s Palpitant Teleppon Club♡ (1992) and MOSHI MOSHI Pink ~ the other side of the telephone ~ (1995), both inspired by the adult-entertainment business in the 90s, have indicated that the duality of pink, which symbolizes girl culture and the sex industry in Japan, intersects with consumer culture.

To probe ‘the essence of things’, since the late 1990s she has been using baking ingredients such as sugar and egg whites to produce Sugar Crown (1999), or roses, creating sweet and delicate works, in an attempt to render their transformation over time. Furthermore, her exploration has extended to a wide range of materials and methods, as seen in her Ref-work (ref paintings), a series of mural works that pursue barely visible patterns using the reflection of colors, discovered through her strong interest in light; and her latest works incorporating video.