~Opening October 3rd (Sat) at Heralbony Ginza Gallery~
HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery (Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) will be hosting the Mika Kamijo solo exhibition "A Mysterious Universe in Every Eye" from Saturday, October 3rd to Monday, November 16th.
After winning the JINS Award at the HERALBONY Art Prize 2024, Mika Kamijo went on to win the Special Jury Prize/Hiromi Kurosawa Award at the same prize in 2026. With her work gaining increasing attention, her pieces are finally coming to the HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery.
Cells, microorganisms, organs—eerie and bizarre dreams. Yokai, aliens, and even clay figurines. The world depicted by Mika Kamijo expands from within the body to beyond Earth before you even realize it.
The world she creates is made up of surprisingly everyday things like aluminum foil, medicine packaging, worn-out cloth, and calendars. Even though her imagination stretches to the far reaches of space, it is the fragments of life that create it.
Everyday objects transform into creatures never seen before. Reality and fantasy, the familiar and the distant—she effortlessly leaps across these boundaries, creating inhabitants of her own unique world.
Talk events by the artists are scheduled for the first day of the exhibition, October 3rd (Saturday), and October 24th (Saturday).
Please enjoy it along with the exhibition.
■Exhibition Overview <br /> Mika Kamijo Solo Exhibition "A Mysterious Universe in Every Eye"
HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery
Date: October 3, 2026 (Sat) – November 16, 2026 (Mon)
Location: HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery (1F Ginfu Building, 2-5-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Opening hours: 11:00-19:00
Closed on Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday) *The store is open every day.
■Exhibiting artist
Mika Kamijo (Nagano Prefecture)
At the age of 19, she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease affecting only five people worldwide and was hospitalized. Although she became bedridden, she began to paint on her own while battling the illness. Most of the works she has continued to create for 28 years are themed around the dreams and imaginary worlds she sees while sleeping. In these works, the human body, planets, insects, fungi, and animals that fascinate her appear, creating a colorful and fantastical world. For her, who spends most of her days in the limited space of her room, the only time she can truly be free is in the creative world of dreams and in the moments when she is engrossed in her creative work. With the belief that "to live is to paint, and to paint is to live," her dream is to have people all over the world see her work.
■A selection of exhibited works
"My stomach is sparkling!"
Materials: Acrylic gouache, medicine packaging, sequins, wooden panel. Artwork size: 655 x 545 mm
Year of production｜2018
《Red and white black growth》
Materials: Acrylic gouache, oil-based pen, cheesecloth, non-woven fabric, canvas. Artwork size: 455 x 530 mm
Year of production｜2025
■Announcement of events during the exhibition
[October 3rd (Sat)] Artist Mika Kamijo In-Person Talk Event <br /> A talk event featuring artist Mika Kamijo. In conjunction with her solo exhibition "A Mysterious Universe in Every Eye," we will explore her delightful and mysterious world of art together.
◾️Event Overview <br />Speaker: Mika Kamijo Moderator: Marie Kitamura (Herabony staff)
Date: Saturday, October 3rd, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery (1F Ginfu Building, 2-5-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
No reservation required. Participation fee: Free.
[October 24th (Sat) 14:00~] Artist Talk Event via the Avatar Robot "OriHime" A talk event will be held with artist Mika Kamijo, who is at her studio in Nagano, via the avatar robot "OriHime". This is a new initiative designed to allow artists with travel restrictions to participate in talk events.
◾️Event Overview <br />Speaker: Mika Kamijo (Appearing via the avatar robot "OriHime")
Host: Marie Kitamura (Heralbony staff)
Date: Saturday, October 24th, 14:00-15:00
Location: HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Gallery (1F Ginfu Building, 2-5-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Participation fee: Free, no registration required
*OriHime is a telepresence robot provided by Ory Laboratory that allows users to share the feeling of being present in a remote location. It overcomes the limitations of mobility imposed by childcare, elderly care, physical disabilities, etc., and enables communication that feels as if you are actually there.
In February 2026, we also collaborated with HERALBONY ISAI PARK on the "Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN ver.β".
*The event may be canceled at short notice due to weather conditions, the health of the performers, or other reasons.
■Gallery Visitor Benefits
[Free art book cover for the first 1000 customers]
During the exhibition period, we will be giving away art book covers exclusively to HERALBONY CLUB members.
*Limited to 1000 copies, while supplies last.* New registrants during the event are also eligible. Registration for the HERALBONY CLUB is free.
Artwork used for the book cover: Mika Kamijo, "Red, White, and Black Growth" (2025)
[HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA Overview]
HERALBONY LABORATORY GINZA is an experimental space that breaks down social boundaries through art.
This is a space where you can encounter new values through the art activities and art products of artists with disabilities. The first floor houses a store selling art products and a gallery that regularly holds exhibitions by artists and on different themes. Live painting by artists and various workshops are also held here. Furthermore, it is a place where you can experience in real time the moment when new connections are born as ideas are tested in the office on the upper floor.
Crossing the boundaries of conventional thinking, we connect society through the power of art.
From here in Ginza, let's take a new step that will change the world.
Website: https://heralbony.com/pages/hlg
[Heralbony Co., Ltd. Overview]
With the mission of "Unleash your unique brilliance," this creative company aims to transform the image of disability and create a new culture starting from welfare. They manage over 2,000 artworks created by artists with disabilities as IP licenses, building a sustainable business model by paying fair royalties. In addition to operating their own brand "HERALBONY," they engage in co-creation with companies, planning and production through creative work, employee training programs, and host the international art award "HERALBONY Art Prize," developing a diverse range of businesses centered on art. In September 2024, they established "HERALBONY EUROPE" in Paris, France, as their first overseas subsidiary.
Company Name: HERALBONY Co.,Ltd.
Location: 2-38 Kaiunbashi-dori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture (Head Office), 3F Reception, Ginfu Building, 2-5-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 (Tokyo Office)
Representatives: Takaya Matsuda, Fumito Matsuda Corporate website: https://www.heralbony.jp
Online store: https://store.heralbony.jp/
[Heralbony] Press Release
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