Misaki Kawai

Born in: 1978
From: Kagawa, Japan
Lives and works: New York City, United States of America
Represented by: Take Ninagawa
Website: https://misakikawai.com/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misaki_Kawai

UN goals

Biography

Misaki Kawai’s pictorial universe is populated by fluffy and quirky characters; whether posing for a portrait or surfing in the ocean’s waves, her monsters emanate happiness. Using a profusion of colors and inspired by heta-uma notions, her drawings, installations, sculptures, toys, puppets and objects are playful and childlike.

In a grim and cruel world, Kawai’s artworks are a breath of fresh air connecting us with our inner child. Inspired by pop culture symbols and objects from our daily life, her crafty artworks defy boundaries and definitions, merging high and low art at once. From this perspective, we can compare her to artists from the Superflat movement, as they navigate through design, fashion, high art and more.

However, her naïve universe links her more to artists such Henri Rousseau, who took inspiration from children’s books and created a world with dreamy landscapes. Like the former, Kawai endeavors to bring out her innermost desires, reducing them to their simpler form.

Career highlights

Solo shows

2020, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia: Moja Moja Life: Misaki Kawai for Kids - NGV Triennial
2012, Children's Museum of the Arts New York, New York, USA: Misaki Kawai: Love from Mt. Pom Pom
2011, Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden: Big Buble
2007, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA: Momentum 7: Misaki Kawai
2003, MoMA PS1, New York, USA: Special Projects (Fall 2003): Misaki Kawai: Octopus Pier

Group shows

2023, Ludwig Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary: The Cuteness Factor
2017, ArtScience Museum, Singapore, Singapore: SerpantiForm
2016, Swiss Institute, New York, USA: Nieves and Innen Zine Library
2014, Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa, Japan: Playmaking
2012, Riihimäki Art Museum, Riihimäki, Finland: Fun!