Mariko Makino is a sculptor that lives and works between Lower Manhattan's Chinatown and Freehold, NY working primarily in neon and wood. Her sinuously shaped, ikebana-influenced forms emit a prismatic glow and create immersive atmospheric environments. Born in New York and raised in Tokyo, Makino returned to the States to attend college and brought with her the aesthetic sensibilities she garnered from her childhood in Japan. Makino originally trained professionally as a chef, finding similarities in the experiential notions of crafting both food and sculpture. Her love of communal meals persists, privileging shared experiences around light, color, and form. Makino bends the neon, and carves the wood in her sculptures herself. Unlike traditional neon signage, which can be jarring visually, Makino's intention is that her work can be comfortably lived with and shared within a home environment.

Makino is represented by Entrance, where she had her debut in 2018. Her sculptures have been shown at Paris London Hong Kong, Chicago, IL (2022), Phil Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2024), North Loop, Williamstown, MA (2023), Document, Lisbon, Portugal (2023). She has participated in fair presentations at Felix Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA (2023, 2024), Expo Chicago, Chicago, IL (2023), and the New Art Dealers Alliance, Miami, FL and New York, NY (2022, 2023). In Fall 2025, her work was included in Side Hustle, a group exhibition curated by legendary interior designer Kelly Wearstler in Los Angeles, CA.

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