CHIKAKO
Phenomenological Introspection Mandala Art
Mandalas that listen to the inner voice, integrating the present self with the true self.
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Concept
What is Phenomenological Introspection Mandala Art
Mandalas that listen to the inner voice, integrating the present self with the true self.
My Phenomenological Introspection Mandala Art does not aim simply at drawing beautiful mandalas.
It is a practice of quietly savouring, within the heart, what has happened in the outer world — listening to the faint dissonances and tremors that arise there, and rendering that process in stippled dots and lines.
There is no finished form decided in advance. In the process of descending deep into the self, the personal subconscious at some point connects with the universal collective consciousness, and reflects the essence of truth. This resonates deeply with Carl Rogers’ notion of congruence and with the felt sense of Focusing.
I also hold sessions grounded in this process of self-congruence. Through dialogue using my works and an original deck of mandala oracle cards, I support clients in noticing their inner voice and integrating the present self with the true self.
Through drawing and dialogue, I accompany you on a journey through the inner cosmos, toward an encounter with your own essence.
Works
Works
A single dot holds the whole, and the whole is held in a single dot. Every dot is placed with that intent.
All artworks are created entirely by hand, without the use of AI.
Metamorphosis
Where a mandala opens out
Derivative video works: the artist took her own original mandalas, transformed the images with AI, and composed the results as moving pieces. An attempt to see how far a single hand-drawn work can open out.
Process
From introspection to form
A mandala comes into being through a process something like this.
I
Savour
What has happened in the outer world is quietly savoured within — left as it is, without hurried interpretation.
II
Listen
Attending to the faint dissonances and tremors that arise there — the inner voice always speaks softly.
III
Dot and Line
The process is rendered in stippled dots and lines. There is no finished form decided in advance; the hand follows what is seen.
IV
Descend
Descending deep into the self, the personal subconscious at some point joins the universal — and reflects the essence of truth.
Awards & Selections
- 2026Selected, the 100th Kokuten Exhibition
- 2026Selected, the 82nd Genten Exhibition
Press & Publications
- 2025"République des Arts" No. 3
- 2025"365 Art+ Magazine"
Artist
About Chikako
I draw the inner world. Rather than composing with the head, I give visible form to the unseen processes of the heart that well up naturally through introspection.
Through the works, I hope to create a place where each viewer can look into their own interior and converse with their true self.
On 30 April 2023, the last day of my medical leave, I drew a mandala for the first time at a mandala art workshop. In March 2024 I left the teaching career I had kept for twenty-two years, and I have been drawing without pause ever since.
I used to live by fitting myself to others, reading their faces. I believed that wealth meant acquiring money and position. Only after falling ill did I finally realise that this was not the life I had wanted. During my leave, walking outdoors, I was healed by the beauty of the flowers at the roadside and by the stir of the wind — and saw how long my senses had been dulled.
When I asked myself how I wished to spend the life I had left, I was at last able to decide to leave teaching. That decision brought me here.
Now I feel that I am living my own life, because I go inside myself and hold a conversation there. For me, the works are something like a record of the path my life has taken.
Exhibitions
- 2024"Mandala Art 2024"
- 2024"Meditation of Light" exhibition, La Madeleine, Paris
- 2024"Hōryū-ji Exhibition"
- 2025Solo exhibition, Gallery Fū
- 2026"Acryl Box" exhibition, Waldart Studio
- 2026Group exhibition "Japanesque", Gallery Fū
- 2026Exhibited, the 10th Kyūshū Kokuten
Documents
Invitation
Commissions & Workshops
From a single commissioned work to pieces for a space. Enquiries are always welcome.
Commissioned Work
A single mandala created for one person, drawn from conversation. As a personal talisman, or as a gift that marks an occasion.
Workshop
A session for observing the inner world through drawing. No prior experience is required. Held in small groups.
Introspection Session
Grounded in the process of self-congruence, dialogue with the works and original mandala oracle cards supports the integration of the present self with the true self.
For Spaces
Original and reproduction works for salons, clinics, inns — spaces that ask for quiet.
Contact
Contact
For commissions and enquiries, please use the form below or write directly by email.