Ayaka Fukano remedies loneliness with exuberant illustrations full of love

The Tokyo-based illustrator's outlook is a lesson in how to inject lightness and goodwill into your practice.

Date
28 February 2023

Depicting cinema dates, pints with friends and family selfies, Ayaka Fukano recreates joyful moments with her audience’s happiness in mind. This is because her practice is based around one central theme: love. Taking cues from the love she has personally felt in her day-to-day life, Ayaka then tries to transmit this through her colourful, joyful and humorous work. “I think that love is the one thing we need to be overflowing in the world,” she says. “I always want to spread it to those facing various difficulties and those who might be in a very lonely moment – which can happen to any of us.”

When discussing her greatest influences, Ayaka’s musings remain effusive as she cites one main figure: herself as a child. “The many creations that came out of those days – when I was so free to have fun without worrying about evaluation – are the ones that are closest to me today and have had the greatest influence on me.” If there is one thing we could all do with once in a while, it’s a heavy dose of Ayaka’s positivity.

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Ayaka Fukano: My Daily Life (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: BFF (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Where the Memories Come From (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Chain of Hello (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Free Flower (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Sunday Funday (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Witness (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Sunshine (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Friyay (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

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Ayaka Fukano: Love (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

Further Info

Ayaka Fukano: Each Feelings (Copyright @ Ayaka Fukano, 2023)

About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, working across editorial projects and features as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. Feel free to get in touch with any stories, ideas or pitches.

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