KINOSHO KIKAKU will host the group exhibition “Inside the Mask” starting December 13, 2025.
Within each of us, two souls always dwell.
Beauty and ugliness, loveliness and madness, good and evil.
The difference between outward appearance and inner self—two conflicting hearts expressed through each artist’s perspective.
Group Exhibition “Inside the Mask”
Participating Artists
Yamamoto Takeshi, Veronica Tono, Yumizashi Takahiro, Inoue
December 13 (Sat) – December 25 (Thu), 2025
Hours: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Closed: Sundays, Mondays
ヤマオタケシ Takeshi Yamao
【Instagram】 @takeshiyamao
Yamamoto Takeshi’s work is a visual essay depicting the inner transformation brought about by the unfulfilled need for affection during adolescence, expressed through traditional motifs like demons and hannya masks.
It portrays not “children who were not loved,” but “children for whom the love they received ‘did not suit them.'” The parents were sincere, offering what society deemed “correct” love. Yet, love that is too correct can sometimes destroy a person. The words, pauses, and emotions they craved were decisively misaligned with what was actually given. This misalignment quietly accumulates, becoming a “quiet force” that distorts personality and self-image.
The boy’s face in the work is pop and smooth, yet his eyes are abnormally wide open. A fissure runs across his head, from which vein-like lines overflow. Horn-like protrusions emerge, and an inexplicable “discrepancy” permeates his entire face. This monstrosity is not an attack on others, but a “temporary skin” to prevent self-destruction; a deformation for preservation, not deviation.
This work reinterprets the expression of the demon mask (Hannya), a symbol of jealousy and anger, elevating it into a visual symbol of the externalization of suppressed emotions = personality transformation. Composition and color deliberately retain an element of “beauty,” avoiding direct grotesque expression. Instead, it quietly awakens the “fissures in memory” within the viewer through a creeping sense of unease.
Underlying this is the artist’s creative philosophy: “Create New Value.” Broken love, imperfect relationships, the dislocation of the heart—these are not merely the past, but can also become seeds for a new perspective. Through the fusion of beauty and monstrosity, this work poses questions to the viewer:
• Does true love truly reach the other person?
• When it’s not the “quantity” but the “form” of love that doesn’t fit, how does one survive?
• Can we see the monstrous not as “madness” but as a “structure of preservation”?
This is not an accusation that “the parents are to blame.” It is a visualization of the quiet sense of dissonance born within the “too perfect family” found everywhere.
If within you too lies a memory of “something that never reached its destination”—
this work may become a mirror that gently traces its outline.
Exhibition History / Activity History (Excerpt)
Takeshi Yamao
Born 1984 / Nara Prefecture
Since 2008, has participated in numerous exhibitions, art fairs, and curated shows domestically and internationally, beginning in Australia. Engages in broad international activities across AUS, USA, FR, KOR, TPE, and more.
Major exhibitions include: Artexpo New York (2016–2019, 2021), Salon Art Shopping Paris (2017), ArtExpo Las Vegas (2018), SOAF・KIAF・ART BUSAN・BAMA (Korea: 2016–2020), One ArtTaipei (2024).
He has also been featured in the Asahi Shimbun (2018) and held solo exhibitions including **”Gallery EDEL (Osaka, 2019)”, “Takatsuki Hankyu (2022)”, and “Kinosho Kikaku (Tokyo, 2023)”**. Since 2023, he has been participating in group and solo exhibitions at Kinosho Kikaku in Tokyo.
*Includes solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and international art fairs
*Also has numerous other achievements including illustration production, publication features, and character design
ベロニカ都登 velonyca toto
【Instagram】 @velonyca
― Artist Statement
In today’s complex and fast-paced world, I wish for simple happiness wherever I go.
Drawing inspiration from Asian deities and auspicious beasts, I create works that serve as anchors, unconstrained by materials.
I hope my pieces convey the joy, vitality, resilience, and tenderness I envision.
http://velonycatoto.com/
https://x.com/velonyca
Born in Ibaraki Prefecture, 1986
Resides in Tokyo
Began artistic activities in 2005
Solo Exhibitions
2014.06- Solo Exhibition “virtue and vice” Asakusabashi
2015.01- Solo Exhibition “Sick the irony” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2016.01- Solo Exhibition “VANTA” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
Jan 2017 – Solo Exhibition “Morning Star Scattered” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
Jan 2018 – Solo Exhibition “Star Crime” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
Jan 2021 – Solo Exhibition “Abundant Flowers” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
Jan 2022 – Solo Exhibition “Fortune Star Arrives” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2023.01- Solo Exhibition: Koenji SUMMER OF LOVE
2023.01- Solo Exhibition “Celebration of Auspicious Blessings” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2024.01- Solo Exhibition Open Studio Exhibition “Ranchiki” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2025.01- Solo Exhibition “Bright Fortune Star” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2025.01-Solo Exhibition “Six Six Great Prosperity:” Koenji SUMMER OF LOVE
(Planned) 2026.01-Solo Exhibition “Paradise” Shinjuku Art Complex Center
Group Exhibitions
2005.12-Design Festavol24
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2022.01-Taipei, Taiwan “Now You Know”
2022.08- China Shenzhen, Yomatsu Gallery “Now You Know vol.2″
2022.10- GINZA SIX, Tsutaya Books “GINZA COLLECTOR CLUB”
2022.12- Shibuya Hikarie
2023.01- Taipei, Taiwan “Now You Know” Whimsy gallery
2023.02-Shibuya plusArt “STA Group Exhibition”
2023.02-Shibuya plusArt “The World of Yumiko Igarashi”
2023.04-ACT Small Works Exhibition 2023 Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2023.07-Otsuki Open Atelier Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2023.09-China Shenzhen, Yomatsu Gallery “ART SHENZHEN 2023″
2023.10-Taiwan Taipei “STA All stars” Whimsy gallery
2023.11-Hong Kong [AFTER GLOW] ztoryteller
2024.03-Hong Kong [AFTER GLOW vol.2] K-11
2024.04-ACT Small Works Exhibition 2024, Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2024.05-『Gals and Nature』Curated by Kana Otsuki, Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2024.11-Design Festa vol.60
2025.03-YS invitation Shinjuku Art Complex Center
2025.07-Design Festa vol.61
2025.10-WAH! Exhibition Tokyo Station Daimaru 1F
2025.12-Bringing Good Fortune: Maneki-neko-shaped Ema Exhibition Ginza Gallery Eikōan
2025.12-Inside of Mask Kyōbashi Kinosho Planning
弓指貴弘 Takahiro Yumisashi
【Instagram】 @yumisashi.takahiro
Statement
The origins of the oni trace back to the Heian period, approximately 1,200 years ago.
In an era before scientific advancement, they emerged as the embodiment of “invisible fears” like epidemics and disasters, and have been passed down through various legends and texts to the present day.
In our complex modern society, relationship-building through SNS plays a significant role, creating a “fear of being seen too much” through iconified human connections, the spread of information, and the anonymity of expression.
That said, I don’t believe this fear can be eliminated.
Over time, the perception of demons has shifted from something to be vanquished to something to be confronted.
I have named these endearing beings “Toon Demons,” a portmanteau combining “cartoon” and “demon,” and engage with them through my creative practice.
Born in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture
2016: Graduated from Kyushu Sangyo University, Department of Art, Oil Painting Course
2018: Completed Master’s Program, Graduate School of Art, Kyushu Sangyo University
Began working as an artist in 2018.
Since then, he has actively participated in solo and group exhibitions, as well as art fairs both domestically and internationally, pursuing his unique form of expression.
He replaces the complexities of modern society—such as relationship-building through SNS and iconified human connections—with characters, presenting them as the “Toon Demon Series” and the “Mirror of the Soul Series.”
Yumisashi’s work expresses the contradictions of playing different personas depending on relationships and environments, and the resulting conflict with one’s “true self.”
【Solo Exhibitions】
・2025
“Takahiro Yumisashi solo exhibition” ERIC ROSE Omotesando Store/Tokyo
・2024
“give back” SPATIUM GINZA PONY Gallery/Tokyo
“mirror of the soul” Hakata Hankyu ART SHIP/Fukuoka
【Art Fairs】
・2024
“Art Fair Asia Fukuoka” Fukuoka International Center/Fukuoka
・2023
“Osaka Kansai International Art Festival art fair 2023″/Osaka
“XAVIER ART FEST 2023″/Philippines
【Group Exhibitions】
・2025
“DAILY FABLES” YUGEN Gallery FUKUOKA/Fukuoka
“Sixth Sense” Keio Department Store Shinjuku Branch 6F Art Square/Tokyo
“ART FAIR NAGANO” Kitano Cultural Center/Nagano
“The Shape of Akuma” YOD GALLERY/Tokyo
“100 Artists 10 2024/25″ Shibuya Cast/Tokyo
・2024
“Type 3″ DAIMARU Kobe Branch 8F/Hyogo
“Breakthrough Eve 2024 in OSAKA” Daimaru Umeda Store 11F ART GALLERY UMEDA/Osaka
“100 Artists 10 2023/2024″ Shibuya Cast/Tokyo
・2023
“Breakthrough Eve Exhibition in Kanazawa ~Next Generation Artists~” ASTER GALLERY/Ishikawa
“ART SESSION Ginza Tsutaya Books” GINZA SIX 6F/Tokyo
“Tryptich” (Inoue
“Tryptich” (Daisuke Inoue/Uki Fujiwara/Takahiro Yumizashi) 3-Person Exhibition Ginza Mitsukoshi 7F/Tokyo
“SYMBIOSIS” Mandarin Oriental Taipei/Taiwan
イノウエ Inoue
【Instagram】 @fdd76
I began my career as a graphic designer and illustrator in 1998, and have been working freelance since 2002.
In 2020, I embarked on my journey as a fine artist.
My work explores the lineage of line-driven expression found in traditional Japanese art—a lineage that continues to influence contemporary visual culture, including manga and animation. Distinct from the Western canon of painting, these stylistic elements possess a unique historical background and set of formal principles. By reexamining these traditions, I aim to investigate new possibilities for what painting can be in the context of today’s world.
