Kimiko is a self-taught painter based in Amsterdam and Almere, whose work delves into the raw terrain of trauma, mental health, and emotional catharsis. After years of searching for a medium to articulate her experiences—through music, photography, and digital art—she discovered painting in 2023, unlocking a visceral language where visuals replaced words.

Her process begins with self-portraiture: she photographs herself, digitally composes layered narratives, and then translates them into paintings using acrylics, oils, and delicate leaf gold. The result is a haunting interplay of realism and surrealism, where darkness and hope coexist. Though her work is deeply personal, born from her own history, it invites viewers to project their own stories onto the canvas—a mirror for collective healing.

Autodidactic and intuitive, Kimiko paints not only to process her past but to create space for others’ untold traumas. What began as a private reckoning has become a meditative practice, one that quiets her mind and transforms pain into something luminous. Her art refuses literal explanation, preferring the ambiguity of emotion—a silent dialogue between artist and observer.