BIO

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- Momoca -
Born and raised in Japan, Momoca began sewing at the age of six, designing dresses for her dolls, and in high school specialized in fashion design. Wanting to see other parts of the world, she left Japan and moved to California to study fine art. 

There, she explored millinery, fashion design, painting, ceramics, photography and graphic design, and upon graduation she opened her shop in Berkeley, CA, where for ten years she sold her hats, clothing and artwork, while also collaborating with multiple brands, like the Adidas Concept Store, Vidal Sassoon, and Redbull. In 2006 she was recognized as the “Best San Francisco Designer.”

Momoca now designs and creates paper plant installations and paintings, an artistic expression that draws on her background in pattern making of hats and clothing, as well as the Origami all Japanese children learn. Her paper objects and installations are shown in art galleries around the world and their popularity has led to creating installations of paper flowers, fruits, and vegetables for clients such as Chez Panisse, Stanlee Gatti, and Lisa Vorce.  

Momoca is a permanent artist-in-residence at Noyers Sur Serein, Bourbogne, France, where she experiments with paper. Despite its apparent restrictions and simplicity, she finds it to be an incredibly versatile material, constantly discovering new forms of expression. 

Having painted throughout her life, Momoca has begun to explore painting on translucent paper, which she cuts into pieces and overlays to complete artworks.  She is attracted to the paper’s transparency because of its similarity to her experiences while traveling; it possesses a delicate, uncertain, yet flexible quality - allowing her to see through what is in front of her and guess at what is underneath.  Painting is a way for her to digest and reflect on her memories of traveling, which she transfers onto paper, where they combine, overlap, and fade, becoming patterns of memory.


EXHIBITION
* The Crown, Oakland CA USA 2019 
* Erica Tanov, Berkeley CA USA 2019
* Dessin, Nakameguro Tokyo JAPAN  2018
* Shozo Tonari Gallery, Kuroiso Tochigi  JAPAN 2018
* Fandesckais, San Francisco, CA. USA 2006 (group show)
* Anno Domini, San Jose, CA. USA 2002 (group show)

INSTALLATION
* Paper Installation Underwater Rainbow at La Porte Peinte, Bourgogne, France 2019
* Paper Garland and Paper flowers installation at Camino, Oakland CA USA 2018
* Paper Wisteria Installation at Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA USA 2018
* Paper Flowers at FOG Design+Art at Fort Mason San Francisco, CA USA 2017
* Paper Plants Installation at La Porte Peinte, Bourgogne, France 2017
* Paper Plants Stage Design for Creative Growth Art Center, Oakland, CA 2017
* Paper Pumpkin Installation at La Cornue, Paris, France 2017
* Paper Lemon Installation at Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA USA 2017
* Paper Radish Installation at Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA USA 2016

MURAL
* El Altar, Honduras 2020,   33 x 10 feet    (10 x 3.3 meter)

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
* La Porte Peinte pour les Arts, Noyers Sur Serein, France 2019
* La Porte Peinte pour les Arts, Noyers Sur Serein, France 2017
* La Porte Peinte pour les Arts, Noyers Sur Serein, France 2016

RECOGNITION    
​* Best San Francisco Fashion Designer, 2006 by SF Weekly
* Chic-est Women's Clothing Store, 2005  by East Bay Express

TEACHING
* Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising San Francisco (FIDM) 
* San Francisco Art Institute

COLLABORATION
* Adidas Concept Store, San Francisco - Clothing Design, 2008 ~ 2012
* Vidal Sasoon, San Francisco - Hair Show, Clothing Design, 2008
* Red Bull - San Francisco Gay Parade Civic Center Fashion show, Clothing Design, 2002

FOR CHILDREN  
* Santa Elena, Honduras, 2020 (Paper Flower and Mural)
* Ajrak Primary School, Gujarat, India 2018 (Origami and Japanese Culture)
* Shozo Tonari-Gallery, Tochigi Japan, 2018 (Paper Flower Crown)
 
WORKSHOP
* Online Workshop 2020 (happening now)
* Handcrafts Studio School, El Cerrito CA, USA, 2019
* Schole, Kamakura Japan, 2018
* Kushima, Tokyo, Japan, 2018
* Noma, Kyoto, Japan, 2018
* Visited a local school in India 2018 (ORIGAMI for children)
* Handcrafts Studio School, El Cerrito CA 2017
​* LE 102 Gallery, Paris France, 2017
* La Porte Peinte Art Center, Noyers Sur Serein, France, 2017
* Celery Space, Berkeley CA, USA, 2016


PRESS  
​* Sitruuna Magazine, Japan
* anan Japan
* Soma Magazine
* Seventeen Magazine
* San Francisco Examiner
* San Francisco Chronicle
* 7 x 7 Magazine
* East Bay Express
* Bridge USA
* Asian Weekly

©  2021 Momoca.  All Rights Reserved.