Born in 2000 in Aichi, Japan, Elm Niimi is a rising talent in the field of contemporary urushi (lacquer) art. After completing a BFA in 2023 and an MFA in 2025 at the Kanazawa College of Art, Department of Craft, they were selected as a technical trainee at the prestigious Kanazawa Utatsuyama Kogei Kobo.

Her work has already garnered recognition, including the President's Award from the Kanazawa Junior Chamber of Commerce at the 77th Kanazawa City Craft Exhibition in 2021.

Elm Niimi has exhibited widely in Japan, with recent highlights including the Kanazawa College of Art Master’s Graduation Exhibition at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (2025), A New Wind from Kanazawa II in Tokyo (2025), and Seishin no Toki 2023 – Opening the Future of Urushi Art at the Wajima Museum of Urushi Art. A solo exhibition titled shiro was held in 2020 at Kakuozan Gallery sobo in Aichi.

Blending tradition and innovation, her work explores new frontiers in contemporary lacquer.