Japanese Light Painter

“Hikarie” Light Painting is live performances by Jinpei using his original technique to create paintings using light.  As the performance venue is plunged into utter darkness, swooping arcs of light “paint” a wall-sized canvas. Allegorical and symbolic figures and landscapes spring forth, only to disappear in minutes. As each element fades and is replaced, the audience finds itself in a waking dream world, a night garden of delight.

In 1989, Jinpei created and developed HIKARIE (Painting with Light), the technique of painting with a special light source on treated canvas. An unique and ephemeral form of performance art, the paintings fade in minutes, leaving shining images within the mind’s eye of the spectators. Jinpei has collaborated with musicians using HIKARIE, most notably in the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare-sponsored AIDS initiative, RED RIBBON LIVE 2008, performing alongside Alan, Angela Aki, Teru from GLAY, HYDE, Eriko Imai, Mao Kobayashi, and Kyoko Sasaki.

The length of the light painting performance will vary depending on the size of space and the event itself, but it is usually 5-20 minutes.  For the light painting to be effectively viewed, all the lights in the space must be turned off/shut out.