A free painting exhibition titled "Painting Exhibition: Artists of the World Who Express with Mouth and Feet" will be held at AEON Mall Hiroshima Fuchū in Hiroshima Prefecture from June 12 (Friday) to June 14 (Sunday), 2026.
The exhibition features works created by painters from around the world who, having lost the use of both hands, paint using their mouths or feet. All exhibiting artists are affiliated with the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) association. The event has been held across Japan since 1992, making this the 10th time it has taken place in Hiroshima Prefecture — the first since October 2016.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition Title: Painting Exhibition: Artists of the World Who Express with Mouth and Feet
- Dates: June 12 (Fri) – June 14 (Sun), 2026 / 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM daily
- Venue: AEON Mall Hiroshima Fuchū / 2-1-1 Osu, Fuchū-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima
- Number of Works: 42
- Admission: Free
Live Painting Demonstration
MFPA artist Junya Tanaka will give live painting demonstrations at the venue on the following schedule:
- June 12 (Fri): 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- June 13 (Sat): 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Note: The schedule is subject to change depending on the artist's condition.
About Junya Tanaka
Junya Tanaka was born in January 1999 and lives in Ehime Prefecture. He paints using his mouth. At age 7, he sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in a traffic accident, resulting in complete quadriplegia. Upon returning to school, he was encouraged by a teacher to try calligraphy with his mouth and discovered a love for painting. In elementary school, he witnessed a live demonstration at an MFPA exhibition near his home and decided to pursue painting seriously. After graduating from a special needs high school, he joined the MFPA with the goal of using his paintings to convey messages to as many people as possible.
Featured Works (Selection)
Works on display come from 13 countries: UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Philippines, South Korea, and Japan.
Among the 42 pieces are:
- Fishermen Hauling Nets (30×40 cm) – Marcelo da Cunha (Brazil)
- New Year (Mt. Fuji) (F6) – Toshiaki Umemiya (Japan)
- Migratory Birds (37×44 cm) – Yun-Suk Lim (South Korea)
- Living (F80) – Masafumi Minami (Japan)
The paintings include works created with both mouth and foot techniques across a variety of styles. Some pieces exceed one meter in size. Paintings are displayed with their center at a uniform height of approximately 1.35 meters, making them accessible to visitors in wheelchairs.
About the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) Association
The MFPA was founded in 1956 in Liechtenstein and supports artists with disabilities who pursue professional painting careers. As of April 2026, the association has approximately 740 members across 69 countries and regions, including 18 members from Japan.
Since its first exhibition in Japan in 1992, the touring show has reached approximately 300 venues and drawn a cumulative audience of around 830,000 visitors (as of May 2026). The exhibitions aim to share the emotion that art can bring and to contribute to the realization of an inclusive society.
