Mika Kawano was born in Oita, Japan in 1983. She completed her studies in the Research Course Arts & Culture, Department of Literature, Beppu University in 2008. She studied as a special student at the Institute for Figurative Painting, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria from 2018 to 2019, and has expanded her activities both in Japan and abroad, with her works exhibited at Oita Art Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and a gallery in Vienna. Furthermore, a solo exhibition “Nighthawks” was held at Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto in 2020. Strange creatures are shaped by fine, soft contour lines on her pale color palette. They take on narratives by layered with butterfly wings and beads collected outdoors, and painted as direct projection of the artist’s mind. Meanwhile, Kawano creates works that uniquely combine everyday occurrences with classical Western symbols from mythology and scripture, exploring the essence of humanity—both warm and foolish.