Maki Horanai, 1977 | Magic realism painter

Born in Japan, Maki Horanai 洞内麻希 moved to Australia from Japan in 2005 and has had 18 solo exhibitions in various cities throughout Australia.

She grew up in small seaside villages in Hokkaido, northern Japan, where she often sat or played along the beach.

Maki's early influences were the ocean, the shore, the birds and islands she saw both in reality and in her imagination.

She began painting in high school and continued through college and graduate school where she was strongly influenced by the colors and themes of western and eastern art.

Her paintings evoke a sense of the sacred, reminiscent of high renaissance religious art, yet they remain open to interpretation - each piece inviting personal reflection.

With acrylics mimicking the depth of tempera and gold leaf, her compositions are both technically graceful and conceptually wistful.

The works of Giotto (14th century), Fra Angelico (15th century) and Kano Eitoku (16th century) have particularly impressed her.

Maki has exhibited widely in Japan and Australia.

Her paintings show a world that exists both nowhere and everywhere, in the real world and in our dreams.

They display a combination of oriental and western sensibilities and defy single term categories.

Primarily a painter working on both canvas and wood, Maki also works in ceramics and mixed media (charcoal, pastels and pen).

All of her work takes us into a her own fantastic world of dreams that exists both nowhere and everywhere, displaying a unique and imaginative combination of artistic sensibilities.

Her work defies any single label, yet has its own immediately recognisable style, often touching or quirky, but always evocative.

About her painting, Maki writes:

"My work has been strongly influenced by the nature of my childhood.

I grew up in snowy villages along the sea coast in northern Japan.

The severe power of the ocean, together with the pure, clean, quiet atmosphere are deeply embedded in my memory. When I was sleeping, the sound of waves was always in my ears.

Away from city lights and tall buildings, the stars and moon were always present overhead at night.

I adore the gold background of old paintings of both the east and west, and, as I started to paint, elements of this style surfaced in my work.

The works of Giotto (14th century), Fra Angelico (15th century) and Kano Eitoku (16th century) have particularly impressed me.

I’m not consciously aware of the meaning of my paintings as I work. If I know it, then probably I can’t paint.

Towards the end of each painting, stories make themselves known to me".

Nata in Giappone e profondamente influenzata dall'oceano, dagli uccelli e dai paesaggi di Hokkaido, Maki Horanai 洞内麻希 fonde le tradizioni artistiche orientali ed occidentali, creando opere intricate ricche di simbolismo ed emozione.

Maki Horanai si è trasferita in Australia dal Giappone nel 2005 e ha allestito 18 mostre personali in diverse città australiane.

Le sue opere sono presenti in collezioni in Europa, Asia ed America e vanta un crescente numero di ammiratori che trovano le sue opere riflessive, misteriose, evocative e fantastiche.

I suoi dipinti evocano un senso del sacro, che ricorda l'arte religiosa del Rinascimento, pur rimanendo aperti all'interpretazione: ogni opera invita alla riflessione personale.

Con acrilici che imitano la profondità della tempera e della foglia d'oro, le sue composizioni sono al tempo stesso tecnicamente aggraziate e concettualmente malinconiche.

Lei lavora sia su tela che su legno, nonché su ceramica e tecniche miste (carboncino, pastelli e penna).