Shinji Ihara was born in 1987 in Fukuoka, Japan. He mainly paints self-portraits, his family, friends and people close to him in oil. Sense of loneliness in society and community leads him to want to connect with others, and this is the root of his work.
Influenced by his art-loving father, he has been fond of arts and crafts since childhood and his childhood dream was to become a carpenter. When he was going from junior high school to high school, he was at a loss about which path to take, but his art teacher persuaded him, “Are you going to become a ordinary person?”, so he entered a high school with an art department. There he studied various arts such as drawing, oil painting, design, ceramics and photography. Among them, he became interested in painting restoration and went to college to learn the classical techniques of the Old Masters. When he turned 20, he fell in love with the same dormitory student. But that person was a man. That’s when he realised he was gay. From there, his paintings evolved into self-expression rather than restoration of painting.
He decided to become an Artist.
In recent years, in addition to oil paintings, he has also created photographs, videos, and installations for his series “Love Your Neighbour” (https://kennakahashi.net/ia/exhibitions/love-your-neighbor-2021) which depicts encounters with passengers and crew members from all over the world he met on a voyage in Antarctica.
Next solo exhibition of Shini Ihara’s new work is scheduled for October 2023 at KENNAKAHASHI in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Please check Instagram or website for the latest information @shinji_ihara – http://shinjihara.com
Biography:
1987 Born in Fukuoka, Japan
2010 B.F.A in Oil Painting of Hiroshima City University
2012 M.F.A. in Oil Painting Materials and Techniques of Tokyo National University of the Arts
Artist: Shinji Ihara @shinji_ihara – http://shinjiihara.com/en – Represented by KENNAKAHASHI in Shinjuku, Tokyo @ken.nakahashi – https://kennakahashi.net/
All paintings copyright Shinji Ihara. REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED, means that the resale and reproduction, even partial, in any manner and form, of Shinji Ihara’ paintings are prohibited. Anyone wishing to use the contents must have to ask in any case written authorization to Shinji Ihara.
