Kumi Kishida is a contemporary artist based in Japan and New York. She lives and works in Kyoto. To foster her own visual language, Kishida studied social structure at Kansai University, exposing herself to real social issues such as globalization, and environmental problems. In 2013, she moved to the United States on her own. Kishida acquired her BFA from Brooklyn College in 2017 and won the Charles G. Shaw Art Department Award in the same year. She received her MFA from the City College of New York in 2021.
Re-contextualizing perspective, Kishida’s work is composed of biomorphic shapes and icons that represent biodiversity and the dynamism of life. Her practice is rooted in Japanese philosophy before the concept of “nature” was introduced from the West in the late 19th century. Influenced by the surrealist lexicon, Kishida materializes unseen energies produced by life activity and revisits hierarchies between not only living organisms but human societies by facilitating a reconsideration of established perspectives on the natural environment. Through constructing paintings in which all the components support and connect each other on a single pictorial plane, Kishida explores symbiosis and coexistence, musing upon contemporary society.
---------------------Works
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TitleThe Lotus in the Muddy PoolSize40” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas -
TitleThe Muddy Pool Grows the LotusSize40” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas -
TitleLife ForceSize61” x 73”Year2017MediumOil, Ink, Acrylic on canvas -
TitleWater Connects Me to YouSize24” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas -
TitleIbukiSize24” x 30”Year2019MediumOil on canvas -
TitleThe Mysterious Smile of RhododendronSizeGraphite on paperYear2018MediumGraphite on paper
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TitleThe Lotus in the Muddy PoolSize40” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas
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TitleThe Muddy Pool Grows the LotusSize40” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas
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TitleLife ForceSize61” x 73”Year2017MediumOil, Ink, Acrylic on canvas
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TitleWater Connects Me to YouSize24” x 30”Year2018MediumOil on canvas
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TitleIbukiSize24” x 30”Year2019MediumOil on canvas
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TitleThe Mysterious Smile of RhododendronSizeGraphite on paperYear2018MediumGraphite on paper
