Despite their candy-colored palette, the paintings of Hikari Shimoda use images of children to develop themes that are anything but sweet. Innocent at a first glance, the youthful characters in Shimoda’s paintings appear with serious injuries that could only be the products of a grotesque imagination — hollow eyes, slit throats and mouths taped shut. These injuries ooze bubblegum-like goo and sparkles that incite a mixed reaction of delight and aversion. Take a look at some images of Shimoda’s artwork below.
