Ayaka Fukano remedies loneliness with exuberant illustrations full of love

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.