MEDEL GALLERY SHU is pleased to present Morisako Risa’s solo exhibition, “Needle on an Endless Dream,” from Friday, February 28 to Wednesday, March 12.

Morisako Risa is an emerging artist recognized for her unique perspective, having been selected for the FACE2022 Exhibition while still in high school.

Her bold brushstrokes and vivid colors weave narratives that instantly draw viewers into her fantastical world. This exhibition is themed around vinyl records. Her works carry the passage of time and storytelling, much like music, and the fluidity and intangibility of music resonate with her expressive painting style. Her talent also shines through in her unique deformations and carefully chosen motifs, revealing her potential for powerful composition. Simultaneously, her primitive brushstrokes capture light in a way that draws viewers into introspection, evoking personal memories and stories.

The title, “Needle on an Endless Dream,” symbolizes the intersection of reality and fantasy, reflecting her ongoing exploration of the boundary between imagination and reality. It also embodies her dedicated approach to painting. We invite you to witness the present works of this promising artist.

I am dreaming. I am longing for the dream.
I call this world reality, but my art explores a parallel world that I somehow believe truly exists. Perhaps that place is the world of dreams. Yearning to touch that world, I continue to trace my brush across the canvas. The dreams I see in deep sleep connect me to that world for just a fleeting moment.

For this exhibition, I chose vinyl records as the theme. When painting, I constantly immerse myself in music. Although I mostly listen through streaming services, if I like the album’s flow or cover design, I visit record stores to find the vinyl.

Streaming platforms only show the front cover, but visiting record stores allows me to enjoy the back cover’s design—a thrill akin to the feeling of making the invisible visible by depicting people from another world.

I chose records as the theme because they have an A-side and a B-side, evoking a mirror-like duality. Some works are inspired by album cover motifs, while others are linked to song titles, lyrics, music videos, or overall atmospheres. I incorporated my personal experiences into idea sketches drawn from these inspirations, finalizing the compositions for my paintings.

I envision the endless dreams I paint as vinyl records themselves, which inspired the exhibition title, “Needle on an Endless Dream.” I invite you to explore the sounds that resonate from them, guided by the hints in the artwork titles.
— Morisako Risa

We hope you will also take note of her deliberate choice of motifs and compositions that express her visions of “dreams” and “parallel worlds” with conviction. We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition.