Hikari Shimoda's kids portraits are colorful and a little bit creepy. Shimoda is currently having a solo exhibition at DMO Arts in Osaka until July 16th. This new series focuses on "children's' idealism and desire to save the world." Shimoda shows this with illustrations of kids with wide eyes filled with stars.
Although their eyes are filled with bright colors and stars, the illustrated children are slightly demonic-looking. To make things even creepier, the kids have throats that look like they have been slit and stitched back together.
Shimoda explains that the horns are a representation of the words that children can't express. Even if kids do misbehave, sometimes their intentions are not meant to be malicious. This series captures this mix between good intentions and deceptive outer appearances.
Starry-Eyed Kid Illustrations
These Children's Portraits by Hikari Shimoda Show Hopeful Youth
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