Mayu Terashita is an artist who fuses art and design in a style she calls “Japanese-inspired + Minimal.” Her journey began after art school, where a desire to draw led her to a Japanese illustration award, inspiring her to pursue art seriously. Shaped by Japanese subcultures like music and manga, especially those with a slightly dark edge, she found a way to explore the deeper aspects of her work.

Her art is built on the belief that to capture a theme’s essence, she must observe it from opposing perspectives, like a motif that is both classical yet modern or sharp yet soft. She consistently depicts people, animals, and plants, drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese folklore and festivals to capture the emotions of people navigating cultural change. She uses unique materials like dye and acrylic gouache on fabric, a technique she loves for its ability to create both beautiful bleeds and solid, matte colors. Her proudest achievement is her solo exhibition, a milestone she plans to repeat within the next few years.

Mayu’s personal philosophy, shaped from childhood, is that everything has two sides—light and shadow. She believes the essence of things lies in that space between them, a pursuit that guides her every creation. She is interested in collaborating with artists outside her style to get inspired, and she dreams of exhibiting her work on a large scale, such as in an art museum. She values Innovative Craftsmanship, seeing the act of making art itself as a legacy.