Etsu Egami is an internationally acclaimed member of the third generation of postwar Japanese artists. Drawing on her experiences living abroad, she explores the misunderstandings and perceptual gaps that arise when language barriers prevent smooth communication. Through bold lines and vivid, rainbow-like colors, she visually captures these moments of miscommunication and human disconnect.

Her work has received global recognition through collaborations with DIOR, solo exhibitions at international museums, and numerous prestigious awards and exhibitions worldwide.

• ・Selected as the youngest artist on Forbes Asia’s “30 Under 30” list.
• ・Participated in the VOCA Exhibition 2020. Traveled to New York in 2021 as part of a program sponsored by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.
• ・Recipient of the BEST ARTIST PRIZE 2023.
• ・Selected as an Outstanding Young Leader Under 30 in the Asia-Pacific Region in 2024.
• ・Participated in the Miss Dior Exhibition; her work was acquired by DIOR.
• ・Exhibited at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
• ・Received the Grand Prize at Art Karlsruhe (Germany); her work was subsequently acquired by the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.
• ・Held a solo exhibition this year at Tang Contemporary Art, Hong Kong. Announced a collaboration with the fashion brand founded by Brad Pitt, alongside Pharrell Williams.

Circulation Born from Visual Discrepancies — Etsu Egami

What does it truly mean to “see”? At the very moment we believe we are seeing clearly, our vision is already subject to illusion. Through many years of living across different cultures, I have come to realize that misunderstanding and discrepancy lie at the very foundation of human perception. The frustration of being unable to communicate through language eventually led me to experiments that make the limitations of language visible. Vision functions in much the same way: it constantly selects, supplements, and at times distorts information.

The horizontal brushstrokes and layered fields of color that appear in my work are not merely abstract forms. As viewers gaze across the canvas, searching for the contours of a face, they may gradually discern a faint visage emerging from the rainbow-like noise. In that moment, the image is not created by my hand alone; rather, it is woven through the viewer’s own perception. This reveals an active dimension of seeing and demonstrates that perception is never a passive recording of reality.

The Japanese Society of Ocular Circulation holds a special significance for me. The eye is not simply an organ; it is a fluid point of connection between the self and the world. The circulation of tears, the rhythm of blinking, the speed at which light travels through neural pathways—each derives its meaning through movement and flow. Likewise, the fluidity of color and the repetition of brushstrokes in my paintings constitute a form of circulation, a circulation of the gaze itself. Perception is never fixed; it is continually renewed, displaced, and reconnected. Within this endless cycle resides the true dynamism through which we understand others and perceive the world.

For this year’s poster, a work has been selected that conveys a sense of visual ambiguity, suspended between abstraction and representation, within flowing blue-green hues. The exchanged glances between patient and physician in the examination room, or even the fleeting instant of a blink, are linked together by waves of iridescent brushstrokes. Seeing is never a one-way act of reception. The eye not only receives the world but also poses questions to it. I hope you will experience the beauty of this dialogic circulation for yourself.