E xecuted in 2019, Inheritance, and Evolution features several horned creatures in a frontal formation, with the centre taken by the Yamainu (Mountain-Dog), a traditional folklore spirit that guard Japanese shrines and one of Miwa Komatsu’s most significant motifs. Exhibited at Komatsu’s solo show Divine Spirit at Whitestone Gallery in Hong Kong in 2019, Inheritance, and Evolution is the result of Komatsu’s receptiveness towards her spirituality. Expert in action painting, she often paints on-site at temples around Japan, creating works with fluidity and passion like a dance to infuse the movement of painting into part of her art. Having performed live painting at various shows, including Divine Spirit, Komatsu morphs her movements and the physical process of production into her own prayer and mantra.

Born in 1984 at Sakaki, Japan, Miwa Komatsu’s intense pieces and unique figures make her one of Japan’s most unique and promising young artists. Komatsu’s motifs are stemmed from her childhood experiences growing up in the Nagano Prefecture, when she recalls visions of a yamainu spirit guiding her home when it was late or when she got lost. The benign creature in the present work is fierce and wild as it penetrates its viewers with enlarged bright orbs, the overall scale adding to its intimidating stature. Vibrant colours and lines intersect densely to form and fill the pictorial space, echoing the artist’s roots in copperplate engraving, now transformed and parading freely across the canvas in representation of the infinite and constant flow of a universal energy. As one immerses into its complex composition, the entities in Komatsu’s pieces become divine guides into the vastness of the mythical realm, creating a transcending experience of reflection and meditation in embracing the intertwined relationships between the universe and human spirituality.

Komatsu’s works often connect strongly to Japanese culture and traditional art, reminiscent of avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto. Her awareness of the ancient linkage between the universe and the earth, as well as the harmony between the present and the past, allows her works to hold a sacred quality that touches the soul. Highly in tune with the world beyond, Komatsu’s works are often of grand scale in which supernatural creatures unveil the mind and push the boundaries of reality itself. She also studies different spiritual beliefs including Thai Buddhism, which prompted her to visit Thailand to develop her “third-eye”, a key perspective she holds dear in her creations. By actively travelling and searching for inner discovery, Komatsu’s art grows as a form of mending, “There is a world beyond painting; painting can help people see the invisible, to heal.” (Miwa Komatsu, Wakapedia).

In 2014, Komatsu held a solo exhibition at the newly built Ueda City Art Museum receiving over 10,000 visitors. Her works are also in the possession of prominent institutions, including Nagano Prefectural Art Museum and Woodone Museum of Art in Japan; Izumo Grand Shrine in Shimane; The official residence of Consulate-General of Japan in Cleveland, Walt Disney Japan, amongst others. Two of her pieces, The Origin of Life and Guardian Lion Dog: Heaven and Earth, are also permanently displayed at the World Trade Center in New York and the British Museum in London respectively. Greatly involved and passionate in her hometown, Komatsu is also the cultural ambassador of Sakaki prefecture and currently the guest professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design as well as an adjunct lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts.

本 作繪於2019年，畫面描繪了數頭有角靈獸，中央是日本民間傳說中的山狗，牠負責守護神社，亦是小松美羽經常描繪的重要主題。本作是小松美羽直接受靈性啟發而創作，2019年曾經在香港白石畫廊舉行的個展「神獸」展出。小松美羽擅於創作行動繪畫，時常到日本各地寺廟即場創作，通過肢體動作表現筆觸，將猶如跳舞般流暢和澎湃的情感融入畫作中。她曾在包括「神獸」等多個展覽表演現場繪畫，她的舞步和創作過程也逐漸改變，成為她個人的祝禱和梵咒。

小松美羽於1984年出生於日本坂城町，她憑著情感強烈的作品和獨特的動物造型，成為日本最矚目和最有潛力的年輕藝術家之一。小松美羽的靈獸源自她在長野縣成長的童年經歷，她回憶起小時候天色昏暗，或者她在鄉野間迷路時，山狗會現身引領她找到回家的路。本作中善良的靈獸看起來凶猛野性，明亮的大眼睛逼視觀眾，龐大的畫幅讓靈獸更令人望而生畏。鮮豔的色彩和線條緊密交錯，將畫面密鋪，呼應小松美羽早年學習銅版畫的背景，但交疊的線條現已轉化成在畫布上自由縱橫的筆觸，象徵著宇宙中恆常流動的能量。當觀眾沉醉於欣賞複雜的畫面，畫中的靈獸就化為引領觀眾進入浩瀚幻景的神靈，觀眾在感受宇宙與人類靈性相互交織的關係同時，產生出超越反思和冥想的深層體會。

小松美羽的創作與日本文化和藝術傳統淵源甚深，令人聯想到前衛藝術家岡本太郎。小松美羽創作時融入宇宙天地間的古老聯繫，以及古今相連的和諧意趣，讓作品變得神聖而可以觸動靈魂。她的作品與出世蘊靈的境界高度契合，往往尺寸龐大，以超自然靈獸揭示人類內心，推展現實世界的界限。小松美羽也研究過像泰國佛教等不同的精神信仰，甚至遠赴泰國修行開通「第三隻眼」，作為創作的重要視角。她遊歷各地追尋心靈啟發，作品也因而成為一種修補內心的方式，她曾說︰「繪畫之外另有天地；繪畫可以讓人見到看不見的世界，治癒心靈」（小松美羽，Wakapedia）。

2014年，小松美羽在新落成的上田市立美術館舉行個展，錄得逾一萬參觀人次。她的作品獲多間著名機構收藏，包括長野縣立美術館、Wood One美術館、島根縣出雲大社、日本駐美總領事的克里夫蘭官邸、日本迪士尼等等，其中兩件作品《生命之源》（The Origin of Life）和《狛犬：天地的守護獸》（Guardian Lion Dog: Heaven and Earth）分別在紐約世界貿易中心和倫敦大英博物館永久展示。小松美羽積極參與發展家鄉的事務，擔任坂城町的文化大使，現任女子美術大學客席教授、東京藝術大學非常勤兼任講師。