Mari Araki considers herself as both an artist and storyteller. In her artwork, the characters become protagonists in an imaginary world. Obsessively intricate and painstakingly crafted, Araki’s subjects are drawn from a variety of places and inspired by a need to release her honest reflections of real life visions and fears. Deliberately flat, emotionless, and employing an adventurous palette, her imaginative vision showcases an ability to balance beauty and repulsion evenhandedly. In many ways, her work is an intimate psychological self-exploration of character. Through unclear circumstances and pictoral riddles, the viewer is invited to discern their own interpretation of her work. It is her belief that the viewer’s perspective changes and time seems to slow when something is truly observed. The creative process offers Araki some strange relief to the relentless, anxious weight of expectations and judgement. Through this is where she finds her entertainment and peace.

Mari Araki was born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Ishikawa, a suburb of Kanazawa.
In 2005, she graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She currently lives in Southern California, with her cats Nade, Nini and Rock.

Houghton Mifflin
Kintop Pictures
Co-Beau Inc. (for the band Yuzu)
Sony Plaza (Aya Inc.)