BIO
Momoca transforms her dreams into paper objects
and paints on translucent papers,
drawing inspiration from her inner world
and the layers of memories from her travels.
Her creations blend artistry and wonder,
inviting viewers on an imaginative journey.
Through her work, altars emerge,
offering a portal to where creativity and imagination unite.
MOMOCA
Momoca creates intricate paper objects and layered paintings, transforming delicate materials into immersive experiences. An integral part of her practice involves creating altars—spaces where memory and presence intertwine, and where her paper creations and rituals emerge.
Through the practice of 茶道 (Japanese tea ceremonies), which reflect a microcosm of Japanese culture, she embraces rituals of harmony, purity, respect, hospitality, and meticulous attention to detail.
By blending traditional and contemporary elements from her multicultural experiences in the countries she has lived in and traveled to, she weaves them into a tapestry of art and rituals.
Born and raised in Japan, Momoca lived in California, where she owned a boutique designing and selling her clothing and artworks, before settling in Mexico City.
Her work has been presented for influential figures and prestigious venues, including Alice Waters of Chez Panisse (National Humanities Medal recipient, USA), Evans Hankey (former Vice President of Apple’s Industrial Design), and The Conran Shop in Tokyo. She was honored with a SPECIAL ART MENTION award from the Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech, and her altar work was featured in T-Magazine (The New York Times).
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, California, where for ten years she sold her hats, clothings and artworks, 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 Fashion Designer.”
Momoca’s material of choice these days is paper. When the owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant, Alice Waters approached her to help with the Edible Schoolyard Project Fundraising Dinner, the idea of using paper came out of convenience, but she soon realized that her background in hat and cloth pattern making, as well as the Origami all Japanese children learn, had given her a set of valuable skills. In the years since, working with paper has become a passion.
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 Alice Waters (National Humanities Medal by Former President Obama), Evans Hankey (Vice President of Industrial Design, Apple), Stanlee Gatti (celebrity event decorator, client like Elton John), and Lisa Vorce (celebrity wedding planner, client like John Legend).
She received a SPECIAL ART MENTION award from Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech and I came for The Couscous Magazine collaboration contest in December 2023.
Paper may be the most transcendental of materials – it has many different attributes and changes drastically depending on the substance with which it interacts. Despite its apparent restrictions and simplicity, the world of paper art is incredibly versatile and Momoca is exploring all of its various properties.
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. One must possess an internal delicate, yet flexible quality – as the life of a traveler is uncertain.
Through her work, she sees through what is in front of her and discerns 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.
EXHIBITIONS
* SS Galerie : Mexico City, Mexico 2024
* The Conran Shop Daikanyama: Tokyo, Japan 2023
* Shozo Coffee Gallery: Tochigi, Japan 2023
* Paddlers Coffee Gallery: Tokyo, Japan 2023
* Tilia Cafe Galeria: Mexico City, Mexico 2023
* Loose Blues: Mexico City, Mexico 2022
* The Crown: Oakland, CA USA 2019
* La Porte Peinte: Bourgogne, France 2019
* Erica Tanov: Berkeley, CA USA 2019
* Dessin: Nakamegro Tokyo JAPAN 2018
* Shozo Cafe Tonari Gallery: Kuroiso Tochigi Japan 2018
* LE 102 Gallery : Paris France 2016
* Fanderskais, San Francisco: CA USA 2006 (group show)
* Anno Domini: San Jose, CA USA 2002 (group show)
INSTALLATION
* Eatrip, Tokyo, Japan 2024
* Shozo 04 Gallery, Tochigi, Japan 2024
* Tilia Cafe Galeria: Mexico City, Mexico : Cocoon, 2023
* Delirio, Mexico City 2023
* Loose Blues: Mexico City, Mexico : Blossom Greeting, 2022
* La Porte Peinte: Bourgogne, France : Paper Installation Underwater Rainbow, 2019
* Camino, Oakland CA USA : Paper Garland and Paper flowers installation 2018
* Chez Panisse: Berkeley, CA USA : Paper Wisteria Installation, 2018
* FOG Design+Art : Fort Mason San Francisco, CA USA Paper Flowers, 2017
* La Porte Peinte : Bourgogne, France : Paper Plants Installation, 2017
* Creative Growth Art Center : Oakland, CA : Stage Design for 2017
* La Cornue : Paris, France : Paper Pumpkin Installation, 2017
* Chez Panisse : Berkeley, CA USA : Paper Lemon Installation, 2017
* Chez Panisse : Berkeley, CA USA : Paper Radish Installation, 2016
BOUTIQUE : Momoca
* 2447 Dwight Way Berkeley California : April 2000 to June 2010
MURAL
* El Altar : Santa Elena, 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
* Special Art Mention, 2023 by YVES SAINT LAURENT Museum Marrakech & I Came For Coucous Collaboration Magazine Contest in Morocco.
* 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
PRESS
* T-Magazine (New York Times) November 2023 Issue Here
* Sitruuna Magazine, Japan
* Vogue Japan Online Magazine, Japan
* anan Magazine, Japan
* Soma Magazine, USA
* Seventeen Magazine, USA
* San Francisco Examiner, USA
* San Francisco Chronicle, USA
* 7 x 7 Magazine, USA
* East Bay Express, USA
* Bridge USA, USA
* Asian Weekly, USA
FOR CHILDREN
* Bali Indonesia, 202４ (Paper Flower)
* Santa Elena, Honduras, 2020 (Paper Flower, Mural & Japanese Tea Ceremony)
* Shozo Tonari-Gallery, Tochigi Japan, 2018 (Paper Flower Crown)
* Ajrak Primary School, Gujarat, India 2018 (Origami & Japanese Culture)
WORKSHOP
* Eatrip, Tokyo, Japan 2024
* BTR, Tokyo, Japan 2024
* Alkali Rye, Oakland CA USA 2023
* Bombera, Oakland CA USA 2023
* Sawmill Studio, Oakland CA, USA 2022
* Online Workshop 2020
* Handcrafts Studio School, El Cerrito CA, USA, 2019
* Schole, Kamakura Japan, 2018
* Kushima, Tokyo, Japan, 2018
* Noma, Kyoto, Japan, 2018
* 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
