Hiroaki Shioya

Hiroaki Shioya was born in Shizuoka, Japan in 1953.

Shioya graduated from the Japan Design School, majoring in commercial design, in 1974. After graduation, he was hired at an advertising agency.

In 1980, Shioya began working as an independent artist. From 1994 to the present, Shioya designs calendars, packaging and puzzles for Oriental Land at Tokyo Disney Resort. He also created a “Grand Opening” poster for Tokyo Disney commemorating the 5th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland. In the 1990s, Shioya's works were exhibited in group exhibitions titled “Contemporary Art in Japan” at the Art 54 gallery in New York. In 1993, Shioya received the 60th Annual Mainichi Advertising and Design Award, as well as several book cover awards. In 1996, Shioya presented a solo exhibition of his original works at Space Sugar titled “Be on the Horizon”. In 1998, he exhibited new original works at the same venue in “Illustrators Show 5”.

Hiroaki Shioya has created numerous illustrations for video game covers, puzzles, as well as covers of famous detective novels in Japan.

Shioya always seeks to produce warm and authentic works, with a delicate style.

He has always been fascinated by American cars from the 50s and 60s, everyday objects and countryside landscapes. These elements, imbued with gentleness, nourish his creativity and, according to him, represent the human spirit.

Another reason for his fascination with the American countryside comes from certain films and TV series he watched as a child. They were very different from Japanese productions, which had a profound impact on him.

Shioya had the opportunity to create works infused with American nostalgia, and this work brought him a lot of happiness.

There are many works of art filled with human emotion; Shioya would like to provoke the same emotion through his own creations.