HARUNA SHIKATA explores the positive layering of memory and emotion in her mixed media works

ADF(NPO Aoyama Design Forum) is pleased to present “Overwrite,” a solo exhibition by artist HARUNA SHIKATA, as the 34th installment of the ADF Art Gallery Project. The exhibition will be held from Friday, August 1 to Saturday, August 9, 2025. Through this show, SHIKATA explores the theme of “overwriting information, emotion, and personal experience” by presenting mixed media works that aim to reconstruct memory and thought in a positive, reflective manner.

The exhibition features a body of work grounded in SHIKATA’s concept of emotional layering—acknowledging personal memory not by erasing it, but by editing and reprocessing it as a form of affirmation. Drawing inspiration from her own lived experiences, SHIKATA identifies how stored memories can act as negative emotional triggers and seeks to transform them through the conscious act of “overwriting.”

Her creative process involves the repeated editing and layering of materials such as photos, handwritten words, illustrations, and drawings. By combining analog and digital techniques—including silver foil, UV inkjet printing, and hand painting—each work becomes a visual palimpsest of emotional reconstruction. The layered surfaces evoke the intricate dynamics of human memory and inner dialogue. Rather than negating the past, the act of “overwrite” proposes a constructive engagement with personal history. Through this artistic approach, SHIKATA offers a poetic yet practical model for embracing transformation and growth in contemporary life.

HARUNA SHIKATA  Profile

Born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1996, HARUNA SHIKATA began her artistic career after graduating from Kuwasawa Design School in 2022. Her work centers on the concept of “Overwrite”―the positive layering of information, emotion, and personal experience. Using her own memories and feelings as a starting point, she creates mixed media works by integrating photographs, typography, illustrations, and drawings. Her process involves multiple layers of techniques including silver leaf, UV inkjet printing, and hand painting, allowing her to explore the potential of reconstructing memory and initiating personal transformation through visual expression.

Exhibition

• June 2025 – Tone, YOD KYOTO
• April 2025 – tagboat ART FAIR 2025
• April 2025 – ART@FUKUOKA
• January 2025 – What You See Underneath, YOD TOKYO
• June 2024 – Solo exhibition Trajectry, gallery201
• December 2023 – WHATCAFE EXHIBITION vol.32
• Award
• January 2025 – Jury Prize, 100 People 10
• November 2023 – Encouragement Prize, Origin of Beauty 2023
• August 2023 – Special Prize from tagboat, Independent Tokyo 2023

Collaboration

• June 2024 – Quarter Room
• December 2023 – MUSTARD HOTEL SHIMOKITAZAWA