Masako Miki
Masako Miki
Masako Miki’s paintings, sculptures, and installations manifest ancient folklore in ways relevant to our contemporary lives. Using a variety of materials, including wool, wood, bronze, ink, and watercolor, Miki creates characterful artworks rooted in Shintoism, the Indigenous culture of her Japanese birthplace, but informed by the freedom and ambition fostered by living in California for three decades.
Miki (b. 1973, Osaka, Japan) has enjoyed solo shows and projects at the de Young Museum, San Francisco; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), CA; ICA San José, CA; and KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, KY. She is included in the two-person exhibition titled “(Super)Natural: Paul Klee and Masako Miki” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) through February 2025. Her work is in the permanent collections of SFMOMA; BAMPFA; the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, CA; Collección SOLO, Madrid; and Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation, New York, among others. Recent commissions include a site-specific installation for the Minna Natoma Arts Corridor in San Francisco and a permanent installation of bronze sculptures at Uber HQ, San Francisco. Miki has a BFA from Notre Dame de Namur University and an MFA from San José State University, CA. She lives and works in Berkeley, CA. She will have a solo exhibition with Jessica Silverman in 2025.

Masako Miki
Unencumbered Cloth Deity (Argyle/Sashiko Patterns), 2024
Wool on XPS foam and walnut wood
61 1/2 x 21 x 21 inches / 156.2 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm

Masako Miki
Unencumbered Cloth Deity (Argyle/Sashiko Patterns), 2024
Detail

Masako Miki
Cat Shapeshifter and the Galaxy Radiate Energy, 2024
Watercolor and ink on paper
Frame: 32 3/4 x 25 3/4 x 2 inches / 83.2 x 65.4 x 5.1 cm

Masako Miki
Cat Shapeshifter and the Galaxy Radiate Energy, 2024
Detail

Masako Miki
Sound Shapeshifter (Chartreuse Green), 2024
Wool on XPS foam and wenge wood
45 1/2 x 21 x 21 inches / 115.6 x 53.3 x 53.3 cm

Masako Miki
Sound Shapeshifter (Chartreuse Green), 2024
Detail

Masako Miki
A Cat Who Lived a Million Times Lights the Universe, 2024
Watercolor and ink on paper
Frame: 49 3/4 x 75 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches / 126.4 x 191.5 x 6.3 cm

Masako Miki
A Cat Who Lived a Million Times Lights the Universe, 2024
Detail

Masako Miki
Enchanted Pine Tree Reaching Clouds, 2024
Wool on XPS foam and walnut wood
32 x 23 x 15 1/2 inches / 81.3 x 58.4 x 39.4 cm

Masako Miki
Enchanted Pine Tree Reaching Clouds, 2024
Detail

Masako Miki
Rising Prayer Beads (Pink), 2024
Wool on XPS foam and walnut wood
60 x 16 x 17 inches / 152.4 x 40.6 x 43.2 cm

Masako Miki
Rising Prayer Beads (Pink), 2024
Detail
ADDITIONAL WORKS

Masako Miki
Grandpa’s Lacquer Bowls and Golden Stick Conspire, 2024
Ink and watercolor on paper
30 x 23 inches / 76.2 x 58.4 cm

Masako Miki
Plaster Wall Spirit Sees a Path Forward, 2024
Ink and watercolor on paper
23 x 30 inches / 58.4 x 76.2 cm

Masako Miki
Singing Shapeshifter (Lilac), 2024
Scale view

Masako Miki
Resilient Hinoki Tree (Periwinkle and Mint), 2024
Wool on EPS foam, walnut wood
70 x 22 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches / 177.8 x 57.1 x 57.1 cm

Installation view
Shapeshifting, 2023
KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, KY

Installation view
Shapeshifting, 2023
KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, KY

Masako Miki
Whispering Kokeshi Doll (short), 2023
Wool on XPS foam, maple wood
45 3/4 x 15 x 13 inches / 116.2 x 38.1 x 33 cm

Masako Miki
Aspiring Ancient Vase, 2023
Patinated bronze on Douglas fir pedestal
Overall: 53 x 13 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches / 134.6 x 34.9 x 34.9 cm

Masako Miki
Whispering Kokeshi Doll (tall), 2023
Wool on XPS foam, maple wood
58 1/2 x 16 x 16 inches / 148.6 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm

Masako Miki
Accompanying a Magenta Fox for a Long Journey, 2023
Watercolor and acrylic ink on paper
22 x 30 inches / 55.9 x 76.2 cm

Masako Miki
Accompanying a Ruby Fox for a Long Journey Ahead, 2023
Watercolor and acrylic ink on paper
46 x 84 inches / 116.8 x 213.4 cm

Masako Miki
Accompanying an Opal Fox for a Long Journey Ahead, 2023
Watercolor and acrylic ink on paper
40 x 60 inches / 101.6 x 152.4 cm

Installation view
Shapeshifting, 2023
KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, Louisville, KY

Installation view
Bay Area Now 9, 2023
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Installation view
Bay Area Now 9, 2023
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Installation view
Bay Area Now 9, 2023
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Masako Miki
Ungaikyo (Possessed Mirror), 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
36 x 32 x 24 inches / 91.4 x 81.3 x 61 cm

Masako Miki
Straw Cape Shapeshifter, 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
78 x 29 x 29 inches / 198.1 x 73.7 x 73.7 cm

Masako Miki
Rising Prayer Beads (Blue), 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
87 x 24 x 24 inches / 221 x 61 x 61 cm

Masako Miki
Energizing Pine Tree, 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
33 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 18 inches / 85.1 x 95.3 x 45.7 cm

Masako Miki
Mirror Sticky Rice Shapeshifter, 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
39 x 28 x 28 inches / 99.1 x 71.1 x 71.1 cm

Masako Miki
The Cat That Lived a Million Times (Book by Yoko Sano), 2023
Patinated bronze
18 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 6 inches / 47 x 24.1 x 15.2 cm
Edition of 7 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Contemplative Chestnut Shapeshifter (Mint Green Lashes), 2022
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
36 1/2 x 26 x 26 inches / 92.7 x 66 x 66 cm

Masako Miki
Plant Ghost (Chartreuse Stripes), 2022
Cast bronze, automobile paint and urethane
24 1/2 x 25 x 25 inches / 62.2 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Animated Sky-Blue Ox, 2022
Cast bronze, automobile paint and urethane
24 1/2 x 25 x 25 inches / 62.2 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Plant Ghost (Evergreen Dots), 2022
Cast bronze, automobile paint and urethane
24 1/2 x 25 x 25 inches / 62.2 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Plant Ghost (Cream Dots), 2022
Cast bronze, automobile paint and urethane
24 1/2 x 25 x 25 inches / 62.2 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Plant Ghost (Lavender Dots), 2022
Cast bronze, automobile paint and urethane
24 1/2 x 25 x 25 inches / 62.2 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Installation view
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, 2022
Institute of Contemporary Art, San José, CA
Photo: Impart Photography

Installation view
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, 2022
Institute of Contemporary Art, San José, CA
Photo: Impart Photography

Installation view
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, 2022
Institute of Contemporary Art, San José, CA
Photo: Impart Photography

Masako Miki
Sentient Roly-Poly, 2021
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
35 x 20 x 16 inches / 88.9 x 50.8 x 40.6 cm

Masako Miki
Blessed Gourd, 2022
Wool on XPS foam, wenge wood
59 x 34 x 34 inches / 149.9 x 86.4 x 86.4 cm

Masako Miki
Enchanted Pine Tree, 2021
Wool on XPS foam, cherry wood
36 1/2 x 25 x 16 inches / 92.7 x 63.5 x 40.6 cm

Masako Miki
Nyoijizai (Animated back-scratcher), 2021
Painted bronze
8 1/2 x 6 x 6 inches / 21.6 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm
Edition of 4 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Kyorinrin (Animated Ancient Sutra), 2021
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
47 x 40 x 26 inches / 119.4 x 101.6 x 66 cm

Masako Miki
Stirrup Shapeshifter (Tsukumo Gami Yokai – Aged Discarded Tool), 2021
Wool on XPS foam, walnut wood
36 x 42 x 28 inches / 91.4 x 106.7 x 71.1 cm

Masako Miki
Cream Nopperabō (Faceless Ghost), 2021
Cast bronze with automobile paint and urethane
17 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 44.5 x 19.1 cm
Edition of 4 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Mint Nopperabō (Faceless Ghost), 2021
Cast bronze with automobile paint and urethane
17 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches / 44.5 x 19.1 cm
Edition of 4 plus 2 artist’s proofs

Masako Miki
Connecting Shapeshifter, 2021
Cast bronze with automobile paint and urethane
27 1/2 x 17 x 4 3/4 inches / 69.8 x 43.2 x 12.1 cm

Masako Miki
The Cat that Lived a Million Times (after Yoko Sano’s book) Gold Stars in Deep Green Cat, 2021
Ink and watercolor on paper
44 x 33 inches / 111.8 x 83.9 cm

Masako Miki
Hyakki Yagyo, Accompanying Umbrella Ghosts for a Long Journey Ahead, 2021
Ink and watercolor on paper
29 7/8 x 21 inches / 75.9 x 53.4 cm

Masako Miki
Hyakki Yagyo, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons – Beginning of Another Life with Emerald Green Fox, 2021
Ink and watercolor on paper
46 x 63 inches / 116.8 x 160 cm

Installation view
Shapeshifters, 2020
OH Bay Cultural Coastal Park, Shenzhen, China

Installation view
Shapeshifters, 2020
OH Bay Cultural Coastal Park, Shenzhen, China

Installation view
Shapeshifters, 2020
OH Bay Cultural Coastal Park, Shenzhen, China

Installation view
Holographic Entities Reminding of the Universe, 2020
Uber HQ, San Francisco, CA
Photo: Henrik Kam

Installation view
Holographic Entities Reminding of the Universe, 2020
Uber HQ, San Francisco, CA
Photo: Henrik Kam

Installation view
Holographic Entities Reminding of the Universe, 2020
Uber HQ, San Francisco, CA
Photo: Henrik Kam

Installation view
Matrix 273, 2019
Berkeley Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA

Installation view
Matrix 273, 2019
Berkeley Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA

Installation view
Matrix 273, 2019
Berkeley Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA
PRESS

Masako Miki reimagines mythology through ‘Shapeshifting’ exhibition in Louisville.
VIDEOS
CV
Born 1973, Osaka, Japan
MA Fine Art, San José State University, San José, CA, 2021
BFA, Notre Dame De Namur University, Belmont, CA, 1996
Lives and works in Berkeley, CA
Solo Exhibitions
2026
Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, CA [forthcoming]
2025
Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA [forthcoming]
2023
Masako Miki: Empathy Lab, RYAN LEE Gallery, New York, NY
Shapeshifting, KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY
2022
Masako Miki: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, ICA San José, CA
2021
Radical Hope, RYAN LEE, New York, NY
MASAKO MIKI: New Mythologies, CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA
2019
MATRIX 273, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
Shapeshifters, CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA
2018
In Process, The Watermill Center, Watermill, New York
2016
Kira Kira, Moya Moya, Hara Hara, Kimball Education Gallery, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Conversations with Fox, Feather, and Ghost, Cult Aimee Friberg Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2014
Kamiyama Artist in Residence, Kokoro No Tabi (Journey in Between Places), Yoriiza Theater, Tokushima, Japan
2013
Helplessness in Hopefulness, K. Imperial Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2012
Ancillary Adaptations, Swarm Gallery, Oakland, CA
2011
Recent Work, Latham Square through Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA
2010
Unnatural Plans, Park Life, San Francisco, CA
2009
Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise, Gallery Extrana, Berkeley, CA
Group Exhibitions
2024
(Super) Natural, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA [forthcoming]
All Together Now: Celebrating AAPI Voices in Contemporary Art, Qualia Contemporary Art, Palo Alto, CA
2023
Bay Area Now 9, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
What Has Been and What Could Be: The BAMPFA Collection, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
Good Morning Japan, Nassima Landau Foundation, Tel Aviv, Israel
Twentysomethings Exhibition, The Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL
Legacy, Cult Aimee Friberg Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2022
Certeza, Collección SOLO, Madrid, Spain
Come Together, Apple Campus, Mountain View, CA
Midnight Murmurs, Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles, CA
Constant Carnival: The Haas Brothers in Context, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
Cute Tunes for Serious Sapiens, Ascaso Gallery, Miami, FL
Group Exhibition at Governor’s Mansion, Sacramento, CA
The Potential of Objects, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA
Physics & Fiction, Cult Aimee Friberg Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2021
Janus II, CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA
Our Eyes Are On Fire, Sarah Shepard Gallery, Larkspur, CA
4 x 8 Bridges, 8–Bridges, CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA
2020
Janus, 8–Bridges, CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA
Record of Succession, Fused Space, San Francisco, CA
2019
FAULTline 2.0, A Collection of Works by California Artists Living on the FAULTline, San Francisco, CA
Fiberful, NIAD Art Center, Richmond, CA
Portraits, Jones Institute, San Francisco, CA
Strange, Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
2018
Group Hang: Print Edition, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
In Process, The Watermill Center, Water Mill, NY
Strange Forest, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
2017
Group Hang, 5th Year Anniversary Facebook Artist in Residence, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
Let the Tool Do the Work, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, CA
Earth and Reveries, Fellowship Award Exhibition, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
Three-person Exhibition, Works on Paper, Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, CA
2016
New West Chronicle, Photo issue, Court Yard, Tokyo, Japan
2015
Passport 2015, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Heft, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
2014
Survival Adaptations, Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Soft Muscle, Root Division Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Possible, Corresponding Mail Art, Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, CA
Dots and Lines by Tofu Project, Digital Garage, San Francisco, CA
2013
Infinitely Bound, The Interface Gallery, Oakland, CA
Summer Exhibition, The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
On View, New work from Kala, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
Peaceable Kingdom: Animals, Real and Imagined, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2012
Aqua Art Miami, K. Imperial Fine Art, Aqua Hotel, Miami, FL
Bay Area Currents 2012, What We Can’t See But Want to See is Art, curated by Renny Pritikin, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA
Beauty, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
2011
Breaking Ranks: Human/Nature, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
Chain Letter Show, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Juried Annual 2011, Pro Arts Gallery, Oakland, CA
2010
Unnatural Plans, Park Life, San Francisco, CA
2009
Contemplating Her Infinite Disguise, Gallery Extrana, Berkeley CA
Selected Projects / Commissions
2024
Shapeshifters in Sea of Trees, BioMed Realty, South San Francisco, CA
2023
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Aquatic Park, Berkeley, CA
2022
Minna-Natoma Corridor, San Francisco, CA
Rengstorff Park Aquatics, Mountain View, CA
2021
Uber HQ, San Francisco, CA
2020
Coastal Cultural Park, OH Bay Art Project, Shenzhen, China
Awards/Grants
2024
The Anderson Ranch Visiting Artist Prize, Aspen, CO
2019
Master Artist Award, Kala Artist Institute, Berkeley, CA
2018
Inga Maren Otto Fellowship Award, The Watermill Center, Watermill, NY
2017
Artist Fellowship Award, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
2014
Invited Artist, received full sponsorship, Tokushima, Japan
2013
Juror’s Award, Peaceable Kingdom: Animals, Real and Imagined, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2012
SECA Award Nominee, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
2010
SECA Award Nominee, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
The Santo Foundation Individual Artists Award, St. Louis, MO
1998
Helen Dooley Scholarship, San José State University, San José, CA
Residencies
2023
Print Fellow, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
Lucas Artists Residency Program Fellowship, Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
2018
Residency at The Watermill Center, Watermill, NY
2016
Artist Residency Program, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
2015
Facebook Artist in Residence Program, Menlo Park, CA
2014
Yoriiza Theater, Tokushima, Japan
Artist Fellow, Kamiyama Artist in Residency, Tokushima, Japan
Artist in Residency Program, received stipend, Project 387, Gualala, CA
2011
Artist in Residency, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
Artist in Residency Program, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
2009
Artist in Residency, Contemporary Artists Center, Troy, New York
Selected Bibliography
2024
Bravo, Tony. “Must-See S.F. Art Exhibit of 2025 Looks at Two of France’s Most Important Painters.” San Francisco Chronicle Datebook. December 26, 2024.
2023
Recker, Scott. “Masako Miki Reimagines Mythology through ‘Shapeshifting’ exhibition in Louisville.” Louisville Public Media. July 21, 2023.
2022
Corbin, Mary. “Shapeshifters of Masako Miki.” 48 Hills. November 21, 2022.
Case, Elliott Sky. “Masako Miki’s Shapeshifting New Façade at ICA San Jose.” Metro Silicon Valley. November 16, 2022.
Takac, Balasz. “The Shapeshifting with Artist Masako Miki.” Widewalls. January 14, 2022.
2021
Balstrin, Sofia. “Shaping Our Collective Fiction.” METAL Magazine. June 2021.
Carter, Don. “Artist Masako Miki draws on ancient Japanese mythology to explore non-binary identities.” Creative Boom. August 2021.
Bonner-Evans, Bella. “Discussing Public Art, Fluidity, and Shapeshifting with Masako Miki.” Art Plugged. November 2021.
Hotchkiss, Sarah. “San Francisco’s Minna and Natoma Streets to Become an Art Corridor.” KQED. October 8, 2021.
Waddoups, Ryan. “Designer of the Day: Masako Miki.” Surface. July 26, 2021.
2019
Farr, Kristen. “Masako Miki: Thig Might Shapeshifter.” Juxtapoz. December 19, 2019.
Soriano, Amyra. “Masako Miki’s New BAMPFA Exhibit Draws on Japanese Folklore to Spur Connection.” East Bay Express. January 9, 2019.
Collections
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, CA
Chen Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, CA
Colección SOLO, Madrid, Spain
Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA
Fidelity Investment Boston, MA
McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
The Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation, New York, NY