Barao Hanno (born in Tokyo, Japan; lives and works in Okayama Prefecture) is a gender-neutral artist who has dedicated to painting while cultivating a farm in a remote area near the mountains. They paint portraits that resemble people on a stage, as well as forms and beings beyond human understanding, with shapes of insects, plants and clouds, adopting surrealist style and miniature painting techniques.
Barao Hanno's ideal is the Golden Age of Greek mythology, described as a time when humans lived with the gods, where the world was filled with harmony and peace, and there was no conflict or crime. The many theatrical elements in their works, such as insects and plants encountered daily in the mountains, posing and dancing in human-like forms, and compositions reminiscent of figures appearing in theaters and on stages, are largely due to the influence of the ballet dancer and choreographer Nijinsky. The subjects of their paintings sometimes transcend not only gender but also the boundaries between living things, as the artist weaves into paintings every day the tale of a time when gods and humans lived together.
Their exhibition in 2024 was the first opportunity for Barao Hanno to present their work.