"Since childhood, I have wanted to distance myself from anxiety and be surrounded by kindness, so I painted children dressed as animals and became one with them."– Mayuka Yamamoto

One of the most popular female contemporary artists in Japan, Mayuka Yamamoto, born in 1964, belongs to the later Baby Boomer generation in Japan. She grew up during Japan's post-war economic boom and, like her predecessor Yoshitomo Nara, studied at Musashino Art University. Between 1998 and 1999, she participated in the Japan Cultural Agency's overseas artist exchange program, where she studied in the UK, immersing herself in the nutrients of Western contemporary art. She admires South African female artist Marlene Dumas and is deeply influenced by the British perfromance art duo Gilbert & George.In 2001, Mayuka Yamamoto became a mother, and

her work began to shape the "Animal Boy" series.The boys, with their melancholy and ambiguous faces beneath animal headgear, exist like dreamy memories, serving as projections of the artist's psychological state. In contrast to the unique detachment and coldness of her early works, in recent years, the artist's depictions seem to reverse time, with the images of children gradually becoming more youthful. The figures occupy a larger portion of the canvas, and their outlines are clearer, facing the audience more directly. The artwork "Mountain Goat Boy" features a deep blue background that highlights the pale pink figure of the goat boy. The boy is silent, but his gaze is gentle and clear as he steadfastly looks into the distance, holding hope and love in his heart.