Born in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, Mitsuru Hiraki received his Master of Fine Arts from the Tama Art University in 1983. He has taken part in solo and group exhibitions in Japan, Korea, China and the United States and has received awards, including the Art Scholarship Association Award (1983) and the Japan Print Association Award (1983) as well as a grant from the Japan Cultural Agency (1988).

Mitsuru Hiraki's 'Heart' series uses woodblock printing techniques to critically reference Japanese history and contemporary society. The print Heart ... imitates the influence of Western society upon contemporary Japan, while also respecting the stylistic and artistic heritage of ukiyo-e. Symbols and amusements of contemporary society are sourced both in Hiraki's and other contemporary Japanese artist's images, but in a manner that criticises obsessions with fashion, media, and the kawaii (cute) that stems from a long history of westernisation.