“Note From a Sheep I Met at the Dawn” – Maiko Kikuchi

Where do dreams end and reality begin—and can our daydreams be made real?

For years, Maiko Kikuchi has explored this question through theater, puppetry, and installation. Her works are like visible daydreams: surreal vignettes inspired by diary-like narration, where ordinary materials transform neutral space into immersive, dreamlike worlds.

An NYC-based Japanese theater maker, performer, animator, and visual artist, Kikuchi turned to puppetry as a way to embody the surreal. Her puppets—sometimes giant, arresting faces—blur the line between human and magical being. “A puppet is more than a prop,” she explains. “When you manipulate them onstage, they become something more.”