Naoko Kadokura was born in 1977 in Chiba, Japan, and she graduated from Bunka Gakuin Art vocational school. The artist believes that the most important thing when creating artworks is to capture the saddest moment. The portraits she painted are often young girls who are hard to express any of their emotions. Their expressions are uncertain, but also combine all kinds of craziness, rebellion, and humor. The artist tries to demonstrate that young girls now not only care about their outer beauty but also hopes to discover their inner beauty. Utilizing charcoal and oil paint, Kadokura portrays the girls’ iconic black hair, pink lips, and thick black eyeliner. Starting from her first solo exhibition in 1999, the artist continues to display her new artworks mainly in Tokyo ART★AIGA and Gallery Tsubaki. Kadokura has also participated in several art fairs in Taiwan and Korea, and she won the grand prize in the Kashiwa City Art Fair in 2001 and 2003.