Cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji, which are frequent motifs in traditional Japanese paintings, often appear in Kenji Shimizu’s paintings. What makes Shimizu’s paintings unique and different from others is a principal character called Bridolly. This original character is created based on an old tin toy bird which flaps its rusted wings with all its might when a spiral spring is wound. Watching this toy recalls the artist the passage of time or memory, and it becomes a “symbol of time” in his paintings. It appears not only as an adorable toy figure, but also in various figures such as Hoo-o, a phoenix venerated as an auspicious bird in the ancient China, or Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow appeared as a messenger of god in Japanese mythology. Shimizu is indeed the true artist who creates the one and only world of Bridolly.  

Biography
1971 Born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
1994 Graduated in Oil Painting from Tama Art University; worked as a university assistant until 2001
2014 Completed graduate studies in Design at Tokyo University of the Arts (Chinami Nakajima Laboratory)
2016 Published the art book BRIDOLLY and appeared on the BS Fuji program ブレイク前夜～次世代の芸術家たち～