Introduction
We grew up in Tairadate, Sotogahama Town, Aomori Prefecture.
The sea is close, and the sound of the wind is ever-present.
The elder sister, Mao, has pursued photography; the younger, Rio, painting.
Though our modes of expression differ, it seems we have always been looking at the same things.
The subtle presences that cannot be put into words, the sensations lingering at the edge of memory.
We have always been drawn more to what cannot be captured than to what can.
This exhibition is the first space we have created together as sisters. In February 2026, we will open the 'Prologue' in Tokyo,
and in April, the 'Main Exhibition' at the Aomori Museum of Art.
Photography and painting.
The time each of us has spent observing through our respective mediums will be presented side by side in the same space.
Mao Sakurada
Born in 1998 in Tairadate, Sotogahama Town, Aomori Prefecture.
Since childhood, Mao Sakurada has been sensitive to solitude, finding a sense of belonging in words and photography. In the 2020s, an era saturated with social media and moving images, she is a photographer who listens intently to the 'invisible.'
Her work consistently focuses on the intangible—presences, spaces, and silences that cannot be directly captured. Guided by the belief that photographing is a form of engagement and inseparable from living, she devotes equal energy to the moments when she is not photographing.
A gaze that contemplates absence. A conviction that what truly exists is found in what cannot be seen. At the same time, she deeply understands that photography cannot capture everything. This stance imbues her work with both gentleness and strength.
Rio Sakurada
Visual artist (painting, drawing)
Born in 2003 in Tairadate, Sotogahama Town, Aomori Prefecture.
Since childhood, painting has been her lifeblood. Drawing on personal memories and family narratives, she creates works primarily in oil pastel, oil paint, and pencil. This exhibition marks her first major presentation.
Exploring the 'presences' and 'traces' that emerge when engaging with family memories, she constructs quiet pictorial spaces through the layering of delicate lines. She seeks to express the accumulation of time—something words cannot fully convey—through the rhythm of her lines.
Toward the Exhibition
I still vividly remember the moment I received the call from my father telling me that our mother had collapsed.
From that instant,
“Whether she recovers or not, I will hold an exhibition for our mother.”
That was the resolve I made in my heart.
A few days after our mother passed away, I shared this intention with my sister,
and she replied, “I want to do it together.”
That was the beginning of this exhibition.
The subject matter was deeply personal.
We repeatedly paused to consider how much to offer as artwork,
constantly measuring that distance together.
There were days when emotions overwhelmed us,
and facing the process itself was a burden on both mind and body.
Even so, we kept asking ourselves, “What can we express now that only we, as sisters, can bring to form?”
It has been a year of slowly moving forward, re-examining these questions.
What We Wish to Convey
Memory, I believe, is far more ambiguous and ever-shifting than we imagine.
Precisely for that reason, rather than telling everything,
we wanted to leave space for each viewer to overlay their own memories.
This exhibition is not simply a place to look at “our mother.”
We hope it will be a space where you can quietly recall someone precious to you.
May the time spent before the works
offer a gentle opportunity to reconnect with yourself or with someone you care about.
With this wish, we open this exhibition.
Exhibition Information
Prologue | Tokyo
Exhibition Dates: February 21 (Sat) – February 23 (Mon, public holiday), 2026
Hours: 12:00 – 19:00
Venue: GALLERY IRO 1F
Address: 1-37-7-101 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
Main Exhibition | Aomori
Exhibition Dates: April 18 (Sat) – April 19 (Sun), 2026
Hours: 10:00 – 17:00
Venue: Aomori Museum of Art, Community Gallery A & B
Address: 185 Yasuda Kondo, Aomori-shi, Aomori
