Erika Shiba is a Japanese printmaker born and raised in Hong Kong; she received her BFA in 2018 from Parsons School of Design in New York for Illustration and Printmaking and recently received her MFA in 2021 in Printmaking at Illinois State University.
Through her practice of printmaking and drawing, Shiba creates a psychological universe which she calls a “mentalscape”; the work she makes exist as documents of discovery in this space. She records and reflects on personal thoughts and memories through the ritual of journaling, then translates these entries into cryptic symbols. She uses this codified language to hint at an explanation, which is never actually provided. By pretending to offer the truth she plays with the idea of revealing and concealing. She processes her experiences, shares them to a degree, and invites viewers to examine them.
Shiba's work has been included in group shows at Blanc Gallery, Quezon City, Philippines, Artlink Contemporary Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, and the International Print Center New York, NY. The artist lives and works in Hong Kong.
