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Red Tresses and Freckles

Junko Mizuno Solo Exhibition

Opening Reception:
Friday, May 8th
From 7 – 10pm
Runs June 18 – July 26, 2009

Known for her unique gothic kawaii style, Japanese artist Junko Mizuno combines cuteness, gore and eroticism within an oeuvre that includes comics, painting, drawings, animation and toys. Influenced by vintage shojo manga, folktales, horror and pop art, Mizuno creates fairy tales where deliciously adorable pin-ups prance naively through psychedelic worlds, battling and cohabiting with the dark magic that surrounds them.

Junko Mizuno began drawing and publishing her own manga (comics) over ten years ago in Japan. Her distinct style was immediately recognized and she began working with acclaimed magazines and music labels to produce original manga. In 1998 Mizuno’s first full-length manga, Pure Trance, was published followed by several comics based on familiar fairy tales including Hansel & Gretel, Cinderalla and Princess Mermaid. Mizuno’s sweetly titillating horrific depictions of classic tales appealed to international audiences and she soon developed an intense cult following worldwide. More recently Mizuno has chosen to focus on her fine art and has exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. With realized sexuality, hunger and violence, Mizuno’s girls combat fatal relationships with desires and demons. Playing off our fascination with the cute and the macabre, strong-willed vixens flaunt their charms, and fight for their beliefs, misfit protagonists for the modern day woman.

Red Tresses and Freckles is Junko Mizuno’s premiere Canadian solo exhibition. Injecting her unique style of kawaii noir into beloved Canadian folklore, Mizuno creates bewitching portrayals of female fortitude and fantasy.