Biopolitical fabulism in Nihonga.
MARI ITO
Born in Tokyo in 1980, based in Barcelona since 2006. Ito's world is one of surreal botanica — swelling seeds and pods, flourishing petals threaded with human faces and self-portraits. Her work stages desire and its instruments as a primal force, while beneath it runs something more radical: a field of revolution. Desire with political capacity.
Trained in Nihonga — layering mineral pigments and sumi ink on washi paper — her imagery reclaims the floral and the decorative as sites of mutation and charge. The abundant anatomies proliferate sideways, unfixed and defiantly.
Origin of Desire is Mari Ito's India debut showcased at Bikaner House, New Delhi, April 24–30, 2026.
