Mari Ito
Much of Mari Ito’s work is autobiographical. Among the strikingly colourful kaleidoscopic symmetry, she talks of personal desires and feelings. Ito, in her metallic gold swim suit can often be found diving in and out of her symbolic flowers. Having grown up and studied art in Japan, her visual language bears those cultural hallmarks. References to classic Japanese patterns used in kimono designs and other items as well as the floral art of ikebana are central to her works.
Living in Barcelona since 2006, Ito’s unique bicultural approach encompasses Nihonga, the traditional Japanese style of painting, layering mineral pigments and sumi ink on washi paper, with an air of Mediterranean storytelling freedom and humour. Mari Ito has exhibited extensively from Tokyo, Barcelona, Istanbul, Palermo and Basel to Mumbai at notable art fairs and galleries, and has collaborated with the Reina Sofia and Miro Foundation museums as well as with renowned brands such as Lilien Berg (2016), Bershka (2017), Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) in Barcelona’s Universitat Metro Station (2017) and Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi (2018). She has also shown her work at the Royal Botanical Garden Madrid and Gaudí’s Casa Vicens, Barcelona.