SAN DIEGO – From July 29 to October 30, the Japanese Friendship Garden will present the exhibition “Kokoro no Katachi / Image of a Heart” featuring two Japanese artist sisters, Kimiko Koyanagi and Michiko Stone, in the Japan Friendship Exhibition Hall. Garden, 2215 Pan American Way East in San Diego’s Balboa Park.

The two artists will present a series of contemporary puppets, continuing their dialogue with traditional Japanese puppetry by exploring their own contemporary expressions. From Tokyo’s Muraoka family, the sisters are third-generation Ningyo doll makers. Koyanagi recently moved to Los Angeles and debuted her work in San Diego alongside Stone, a La Jolla resident.

Koyanagi is a Japanese Canadian artist who has been using her family’s traditional doll making techniques for over 60 years, creating and developing her own unique and individual sculptures. Passion and philosophical meaning are embodied in the contemporary expressions of her work.

An artist who has spent 20 years in Malaysia and the last 35 years in the US, Stone has exhibited internationally in Tokyo, Vancouver, Toronto, Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles. Her artwork has been exhibited in Japan, Malaysia, Canada and the United States along with works by her sister and the Muraoka family.

Exhibition Hours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (July 29 to September 4), 10 am to 5 pm (September 5 to October 30). Hours may change during special events. See www.niwa.org.

JFG General Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (over 65) and active military (with valid ID).

Exhibit Link: https://www.niwa.org/exhibits-list/2022/7/29/kokoro-no-katachi-image-of-the-heart