Artwork Description
Solitary Child 1 Limited Edition Archival Pigment Prints on 310gsm Fine Art Paper by Hikari Shimoda Graffiti Street Artist Modern Pop Art.
2016 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 50 Artwork Size 12x12
"Solitary Child is a series of works, focused on my original theme of the inevitability of the Apocalypse. In this series, I am offering a new savior for humankind- she is a magical girl (Solitary Child #1) and a little boy hero (Solitary Child #3). In the world of my paintings, humanity has perished, as seen in the collage background, where there is an expressed chaos throughout. In these images, my saviors have come upon the dying human race. After the death of man, the world has found some relief from the turmoil that he has brought upon it. Meanwhile, mankind selfishly dreams of newfound happiness in his afterlife. In the mythology of my work, as humanity is destroyed, only one figure remains and that is the Messiah represented as a child. The magical girl was the first to be left alone after humanity was destroyed, left to deal with the despair and damage he left behind. Her eyes are shining and sparkling, but her stare is blank. In contrast, my hero’s eyes are closed ever so gently. To him, everything in the world is very chaotic and overwhelming. He feels all of its happiness, despair, hope, sadness, everything… in such a state, even the world’s savior must shut his eyes to it." - Hikari Shimoda
Solitary Child 1 Archival Pigment Print by Hikari Shimoda
Solitary Child 1 is a haunting yet luminous work by Japanese artist Hikari Shimoda, executed as a limited edition archival pigment print on 310gsm fine art paper in 2016. Measuring 12x12 inches and part of a signed and numbered edition of only 50 pieces, the print is an exemplary artifact of modern Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork. Hikari Shimoda’s visual language is deeply influenced by anime, manga, and the traditions of Japanese pop culture, yet she transcends those frameworks by embedding layered commentary on psychological turmoil, existential despair, and the fractured identity of post-apocalyptic innocence.
A Childlike Messiah in a Dystopian Aftermath
Solitary Child 1 features a central character presented with almost overwhelming intensity: a young girl in a magical girl costume with heart motifs and sailor-style attire. Her pink and red hair bursts outward, saturated with visual energy, covered in stars and cosmic motifs. The round composition suggests a window into another dimension, one that has already processed the collapse of humanity. Her large, glowing eyes, rendered with 3D-like chromatic effects, stare blankly ahead, neither judgmental nor mournful. This emptiness is intentional, a thematic thread in Shimoda’s work meant to evoke both detachment and forced resilience. Within the background—a swirling collage of detritus, symbols, and abstract fragments—the chaos of a forgotten civilization bleeds through. Shimoda situates her character as both witness and survivor. The child does not weep for the world but exists beyond it, as its last remnant or perhaps as its reluctant redeemer. Her eyes, sparkling with galaxies and stars, are full of wonder and terror. Her small frame is juxtaposed against the density of visual information around her, reminding the viewer that she is no longer a child in the traditional sense but a totem for hope, destruction, memory, and transcendence.
The Narrative of the Apocalypse and Magical Realism
This print is part of Shimoda’s larger Solitary Child series, which contemplates the inevitable downfall of humankind and the rise of symbolic children as messianic figures. Her use of magical girl archetypes and child heroes blends contemporary kawaii aesthetics with harrowing existential themes. The result is a visual paradox: alluring and innocent on the surface, but deeply reflective of societal failure, emotional vacancy, and the search for meaning after cultural ruin. Solitary Child 1 is more than a work of visual pop; it is a philosophical reflection clothed in vibrant, hallucinogenic textures.
A Singular Voice in Pop Apocalyptic Visual Language
Hikari Shimoda’s Solitary Child 1 stands at the intersection of anime fantasy, pop aesthetics, and postmodern emotional realism. Printed with extraordinary precision on archival paper, the piece balances delicate brush textures with high-impact digital color precision. Each work in the edition is hand-signed and individually numbered, preserving its place in the limited pantheon of collectible Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork. As Shimoda continues to rise in global prominence, pieces like Solitary Child 1 serve as portals into her richly imagined mythos—where apocalyptic desolation and magical innocence collide to question what it means to save a world that cannot save itself.
