The paintings of Aya Higuchi (b. 1988, Tokyo, Japan) are moments of pause and poetry in canvas form; quietly intimate depictions of quotidian or natural encounters. They are simple pleasures: a glazed doughnut on a china plate, a morning walk drenched in misty sunlight, or even simply an ice cold glass of water. Amidst the glaring blue lights of screens and increasingly saturated images which compete for our attention daily, the quietness of Higuchi’s art is poignant. The visible brush strokes which sweep across her canvases give these images the impression of being viewed through the misted glass of memory, or perhaps a dream. Her work embodies the Danish principle of hygge, which has been called– appropriately- the ‘art of creating intimacy’, or Katherine May’s book Wintering, which is a celebration of life’s fallow (slower) moments.

Recent solo exhibitions include: In the mountain strong wind, Union Pacific, London, UK (2024), what the birds see, Lighthouse Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2024), Like a cloud, Couztcafe + shop, Tokyo, Japan (2022), Landscapes, Couztcafe + shop, Tokyo, Japan (2021), and A little planet, capleville, Tokyo, Japan (2020). Recent group exhibitions include: leafmold paradise, Union Pacific, London, UK (2024), Entities, galleryGigi, Tokyo, Japan (2023), Under construction, Geidai art plaza, Tokyo, Japan (2022) and ASYAAF Art Fair, Seoul, Korea (2022).