“Hug” - Exhibition
“There’s nothing a hug can’t fix.”
A hug can transcend words and convey emotion. It can be a quiet form of support, the joy of reunion, or the tender sorrow of parting. It is one of the most instinctive and sincere ways to express care — a gentle and direct connection between people.
This group exhibition features the works of three artists, each exploring the theme of “Hug” as a delicate inquiry into life and emotion:
Chiharu Koizumi sculpts with clay, blending the faces of animals and babies to portray the singular presence of life — a vision of innocence and the tenderness of beginnings.
When we met Chiharu Koizumi in Kyoto, we couldn’t help but talk about her creative journey while sitting across from a table full of her delightful little characters.
She told us that inspiration often comes from fleeting thoughts that emerge unexpectedly in daily life. She notes them down as keywords in her phone and revisits them later, shaping them into the starting point of new works. One turning point for her was encountering the work of ceramic artist Tetsuya Hirota. She recalled seeing his piece by chance in a café—and it completely changed her perspective. Until then, she had always seen tableware as distant and formal. But Hirota’s piece felt alive, as if it quietly carried a presence of its own. That moment made her realize that even something as everyday as eating or drinking could hold a spark of emotional connection. It became the foundation of her practice.
Most of her works begin on the wheel, and are gradually shaped by adding or subtracting form. While the clay is still soft, she carefully carves out the nose and eyes—each piece taking on a unique expression. What she obsesses over most, however, is the eyes. She adjusts the shadows during carving and layers the paint four to five times to create depth. She laughed, recalling how she once practiced drawing manga-style eyes as a child—skills that, surprisingly, still shape her artistic expression today.
Among all her works, one piece holds special meaning: HUG MUG. It was inspired by a deeply moving moment.
She visited a friend who had just given birth, and watched as the friend gently picked up her baby. The expression on her face said, without words, “You mean so much to me.” That moment stayed with her—the warmth, the gaze, the emotion—and became the seed of HUG MUG. Through this piece, she hopes to pass on that feeling of tenderness to anyone who holds it.
Ryoko Horie’s “ponpoco” series was born from a simple idea — to create a little companion for a dear friend. In her hands, warmth takes shape as a quiet, steady presence in everyday life.
Artist Ryoko Horie once shared with us the story of how ponpoco first began:
“The most unforgettable memories is the very first ponpoco I ever made. I was still a student then, and a friend of mine once said, ‘I wish I had a little companion.’ In response, I made a tiny ceramic piece, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, shaped like a mushroom. It looked completely different from the ponpoco I make today, but I can still clearly remember the joy on my friend’s face. I think it’s that very intention—‘to create a small companion for someone’—that has kept me going. I hope these ponpoco can become companions in the lives of many people.”
A small companion—so perfectly aligned with the theme of our exhibition, “Hug.”
What moved us even more was when she said:
“I always treasure those moments in daily life when a sense of tenderness naturally flows into my heart.
During walks, the creatures I encounter—their forms, their sounds, their scents—bring me endless inspiration.”
Tenderness—a word we rarely hear these days—gently stirred something in us.
When we asked which part of the creative process she enjoys the most, Ryoko replied:
“It may not be quite right to call it ‘enjoyment,’ but when I paint the eyes, it always feels as if they finally come to life.
In that moment, each ponpoco seems to meet my gaze, and I’m filled with the feeling of ‘Ah, there you are at last.’”
“Ah, there you are. Let me hug you.”
Perhaps that’s why we find ourselves unwilling to put them down once we hold them in our hands.
As for staying inspired, Ryoko doesn’t force it. She simply lives in rhythm with the seasons and daily life, allowing those “how beautiful” moments to come to her naturally.
Even enjoying seasonal foods, she says, is a meaningful part of how she experiences the world.
Perhaps it’s precisely this unforced, sincere approach that makes her work feel so gentle, so close, and so unforgettable.
Miharu Saka’s paintings draw from childhood memories, using delicate strokes to revisit her intimate encounters with nature — moments of embrace with the earth, the wind, and sunlight.
Her art flows like quiet poetry—using warm lines and gentle colors to capture the tender moments of daily life, animals, and scenery.
When asked about her creative inspiration, she said it mostly stems from memories of the past and present: running wild as a child in open fields, everyday moments spent with cats, her time living in France, and now the calm, quiet days in Kyoto. These fragments drift through her works like the wind. The most unforgettable of all is the memory of seeing an enormous sun in the sunset as a child—an instant of awe that remains the origin point in her heart.
Each piece begins with imagination. She mentally builds the season, time, place, and atmosphere before letting the scene unfold. From sketches and pencil drafts to pen outlines, acrylic coloring, and final pen details—she follows a meticulous process, drawing out the landscapes of her inner world, stroke by stroke. She hopes her paintings evoke what she calls “imaginary landscapes of the heart”—the kind that invite a pause, a deep breath, a sense of calm and comfort.
What she enjoys most in her process is depicting the fluff of animal fur, the gentle curves of wind, and the subtle swaying of flowers and grass. She finds joy in the balance between soft color and clear lines. She also likes to imagine whether, someday, someone—familiar or a stranger—might come across one of her paintings, quietly understand it, and treasure it.
To keep her creativity alive, she often steps out of her studio to closely observe wildflowers. She believes many beautiful moments can’t be conveyed through a screen—they must be seen in person to truly realize, “So this is what it really looks like.”
She also enjoys traveling to unfamiliar places, as each new journey rekindles her desire to discover anew.
This exhibition poses a gentle question: In a fast-paced world of shifting relationships, how might we relearn the act of holding and being held? May each visitor who steps into this space feel a sense of calm and tenderness — and carry that warmth forward, to embrace those around you, and yourself.
Exhibition Dates: May 30 – June 1, 12–8pm
Location: 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace, #01-46A, Singapore 168976
