Japanese Artist Miki Hagiwara Comes to the City of Belmont Art Awards Markets

There are artists who make work to hang in galleries, and then there are artists who make work to connect with people. Miki Hagiwara, the Japanese painter behind Pinchappy, is both.

Based in Japan and exhibiting regularly in museums and galleries, Miki has spent her career building a body of work that is vibrant, warm and deeply personal. But somewhere along the way she began to wonder whether the gallery walls were limiting who could experience her art. So she did something bold. She decided to bring her work to the people, and that journey has led her all the way to Perth.

On Sunday 25 October, Miki will be at the City of Belmont Art Awards Markets at Faulkner Park in Cloverdale from 10:00am to 3:00pm, and it is going to be a very special day.

Miki’s relationship with art did not begin in a studio or at a market stall. It began in childhood, with a pencil and an instinct that has never left her.

She attended art classes in primary school, oil painting classes in middle school, then an art high school and finally an art university. Since graduating she has worked as a painter while also teaching at an art school, passing on her skills and passion to the next generation of artists.

For Miki, drawing is not a career choice or a side project. It is simply part of who she is. As she puts it, drawing is a part of my life. She has been doing it constantly since she was little, and that lifelong dedication shows in every piece she creates.

The works Miki will be bringing to the City of Belmont Art Awards Markets are all painted in acrylics, a medium that allows her to create the bold, luminous colour that has become her signature. Some pieces were created in Japan and have made the journey with her, while others were painted right here in Australia, inspired by her experiences in a new country and culture.

Each piece takes between one and five months to complete depending on its size, a reminder that behind every vibrant canvas is hours of careful, considered work. Miki also creates oil paintings, embroidery and picture books, demonstrating a creative range that extends well beyond the canvas.

Her studio is at home, a space that allows her to work at her own pace and stay deeply connected to the personal nature of what she creates.

One of the things Miki has discovered through her experience at Australian markets is that the quality of the work is only part of the story. The connection between artist and audience matters just as much. It is something she has embraced wholeheartedly and it is one of the things that makes meeting her at a market such a meaningful experience.

She describes the appeal of markets as the ability for visitors to interact easily with the artwork, and that spirit of accessibility is exactly what drew her to this format in the first place. She wanted more people to be able to experience her work, not just those who walk through gallery doors.

When asked about her goals for the future, Miki’s answer is as heartfelt as her art. She wants to create her own art museum one day, a permanent home for her work and for the people who find something in it. And more than anything, she hopes that those who see her paintings feel even a little bit of warmth in their hearts.

That warmth is present in every piece she makes. Come and experience it for yourself this Sunday. Find Pinchappy at the City of Belmont Art Awards Markets on Sunday 25 October at Faulkner Park, Cloverdale from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Visit Miki’s website at pinkyheartmiki.wixsite.com or follow her on Instagram @hagiwara_miki_cart to see more of her work.