ABOUT
Photographed by Kenichi Asano
MEGUMI OHATA
Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors
大畑惠 (they/it)
Interdisciplinary & Special Effects Artist
ABOUT
Megumi Ohata is a London-based interdisciplinary and special effects artist, primarily of Japanese heritage with a mixed Korean background. They are renowned for innovative creations that feature unique artificial skin textiles imprinted with their own skin textures.
Ohata earned a distinction in MA Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art, London in 2023, following a First Class Honours Degree in BA Illustration at Camberwell College of Art, University of the Arts London in 2019. Their work has been presented at prestigious venues including Tate Modern and Cromwell Place. They were runner-up in The Batsford Prize fashion category in 2019 and received the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Arts & Culture Grant in 2022. In 2023, they delivered an artist talk, Reimagining the Human Body, at Tate Modern.
In 2024, their artworks were acquired by the Adamovskiy Foundation for its collection, they were selected as a finalist for the 2024 Ingram Prize, and elected as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Most recently, they were named a Highly Commended Artist in the Winter 2025 round of the Homiens Art Prize, and will participate in the FUSION Tokyo 2026 Artist Residency in partnership with BnA_WALL, Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Ohata's work deeply explores identity politics, Posthuman philosophy, and the intersectionality of personal traumas such as child abuse, gender struggles, and discrimination due to their Asian heritage. Using SFX techniques, Ohata creates sculptural installations that merge wearable artificial skin and hyper-realistic life-sized sculptures, drawing inspiration from the rich folklore of Japanese Yokai. By merging human and animal-like forms, Ohata seeks to challenge conventional boundaries between 'self' and 'other', aiming to create a space for contemplation and dialogue on identity, existence, the complexities of cultural displacement, and the fluidity between human and non-human realms. Ohata views their art as an extension of their body—a tool to blur boundaries beyond their skin and explore non-human forms within.
They foster an environment conducive to intimate interactions, encouraging profound connections, empathy, and understanding, while also provoking introspection about our shared existence. In their journey to reconcile traumatic experiences, Ohata questions the role of artists in breaking free from society's negative cycles and poses the question: What does a body need to be relatable?
CV
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026
FUSION Tokyo 2026, BnA_WALL, Tokyo, JP. [Forthcoming]
2025
London Design Festival 2025: No One has taught me this, Blackdot Gallery, London, UK. [Forthcoming]
L'Age D'Or, Hoxton Arches, London, UK.
2024
Durham Street Open Studios, Bow Arts, London, UK.
2024 Ingram Prize Exhibition, Unit 1 Gallery ǀ Workshop, London, UK.
Annual Open 2024, Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK.
Gardens of Dreams, M17 Contemporary Art Centre, Kyiv, UA.
Queer East 2024: shedding:::selves, Ugly Duck, London, UK.
In Search of Some Phantom, International Body of Art, The Crypt Gallery, London, UK.
Welcome to the UK, Ugly Duck, London, UK.
2023
Homotopic, Culture& x Pacheanne Anderson, Cromwell Place, London, UK.
ACROSS & OVER, HSBC HQ, London, UK.
Alter-native, Ugly Duck, Courage Yard, London, UK.
EDGE, gallery G, Hiroshima, JP.
RCA2023 Degree Show, The Truman Brewery, London, UK.
Kaechan's Imagination Oasis, TAV GALLERY, Tokyo, JP.
recombinator, Staffordshire, London, UK.
2022
Durham Street Open Studios, Bow Arts, London, UK.
l4nd$ȼp♠︎Ξ$, Tabula Rasa Gallery, London, UK.
CAP Salon, Dyson Gallery, London, UK.
Work in Progress 2022, Royal College of Art, London, UK. [Online]
2021
Kawaii Agency Launch Event, Avalon Cafe, London, UK.
Kawaii Agency, The Wrong Biennale. [Online]
Overexposed, VISIONARY Projects & Legion Paper, New York, US. [Online]
Humanism, BIOS Exploring Urban Culture, Athens, GR.
Lingua Franker, Shiftists, Hoxton 253, London, UK.
AWARDS, RESIDENCIES & GRANTS
2026
FUSION Artist Residency, BnA Fusion Tokyo 2026, Tokyo, JP. [Forthcoming]
2025
ArtEvol 2025, London Art Collective: Shortlist
Homiens Art Prize, Winter 2025: Highly Commended
2024
2024 Ingram Prize: Finalist
Royal Society of Sculptors: MRSS
2022
The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Arts & Culture Grant: Grant recipient
2021
The Holy Art, Humanism Art Contest: Shortlist
2019
The Batsford Prize 2019, Fashion Category: Runner-up
TALKS
2023
Closing Conversation with Pacheanne Anderson, Cromwell Place, London, UK.
Art that explores boundaries in culture & life with JJ Walsh, YouTube & Podcasts. [Online]
Edge Artist Talk, gallery G, Hiroshima, JP.
Reimagining Human Body, Tate Modern Lates, Tate Modern, London, UK.
PUBLICATION & PRESS
2025
Blackdot Gallery - London Design Festival 2025
Sold Out Publishing - Welcome to the UK
2024
Suboart Magazine - What Does the Body Need to Be Relatable?
Vogue UA - 8 most interesting August exhibitions in Kyiv and Lviv
Plaster Magazine - London art exhibitions: Plaster staff picks
2023
Culture& - Homotopic: External expressions of the worlds that live within us
Seek Sustainable Japan by JJWalsh - Art that explores boundaries in culture & life
HSBC x Royal College of Art - ACROSS & OVER
GET HIROSHIMA - The Edge Exhibition “Boundary” Paintings & Sculpture
TOKYO ART BEAT - Kae Tanaka "Kae-chan's Imagination Oasis"
Royal College of Art - RCA2023 Megumi Ohata
COLLECTIONS
Adamovskiy Foundation
Private Collections
SPONSORSHIPS
2023
Hiroshima Artist Brush Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hiroshima, JP.
Bentley Advanced Materials, London, UK.
PROSTHETICS & SFX EXPERIENCE
2025
More Is More [Installation], Max Siedentopf x Haus Nowhere, fabricated at State of Illusion Studios (Tristan Versluis), Baza, ES.
Prosthetics Trainee – Polyester resin and fibreglass sculpture creation
Exhibited internationally across Seoul, Shanghai, and Shenzhen
Sculpture Commission, Uta Sienkiewicz, London, UK.
Hyperreal silicone sculpture creation – lifecasting, sculpting, mould making, silicone running, eye-making
2023
Hands Sculpture Series [Sculpture], Makiko Harris, London, UK.
Lifecasting support for hands and arms
In the Beginning, There was Alchemy [Short film], Alyse Stone, London, UK.
Lifecasting and plaster face reproduction
Collective Healing Youth Club [Short film], Deividas Vytautas, London, UK.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
CIRCA Prize 2023 finalist; screened at Piccadilly Lights, London
2022
filled up, torn open [Short film], Deividas Vytautas, London, UK.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
Sakura Portrait [Photography], Fangxinyue Wang, London, UK.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
All Said And Done [Installation], Blake Hart-Wilson, London, UK.
Arm casting and silicone sculpture creation
2021
BFFS 4 LIFE [Photography], Audrey Gretz, Tokyo, JP.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
Featured in Sunstroke Press & Spaghettimag
Haunted Love Hotel [Photography], Audrey Gretz, Tokyo, JP.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
2020
Elf Girl [Photography], Audrey Gretz, Tokyo, JP.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application
2019
SILLY BILLY MEAT DELI [Photography], Bart Seng Wen Long, London, UK.
Lead SFX artist – design, fabrication, application, silicone mask creation, hair & makeup; additional work in graphic design
WORK EXPERIENCE
2025
Prosthetics Trainee, State of Illusion Studios (Tristan Versluis), Baza, ES.
2024
Artist Assistant, Makiko Harris Studio, London, UK.
2019 - Present
Freelance SFX Artist, London, UK & Tokyo, JP.
2019
Runway Show Assistant, FACETASM, Paris, FR.
2015 - 2016
Artist Assistant, FOGHORN, Tokyo, JP.
EDUCATION
2021 - 2023
Royal College of Art: MA Contemporary Art Practice, London, UK. [Distinction]
2020 - 2021
Royal College of Art: Graduate Diploma Art & Design (Fine Art), London, UK.
2016 - 2019
University of the Arts London, Camberwell College of Arts: BA (Hons) Illustration, London, UK. [First Class Honours]
COURSES
2023
3-Day Eye Making Workshop with Peter Tindall, Bentley Advanced Materials, London, UK.
2018
Home Sewing and Simple Garment Making, University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins, London, UK.