Asami KIYOKAWA

Asami KIYOKAWA is a multidisciplinary artist, who explores the contradictions and gaps that emerge between an individual’s internal and external identity in a society exposed to a flood of excess information from social media, magazines, and other media systems. The artist’s representative works, which include “Bijo Saishu(Beauty Collection)”, “Complex” series and “TOKYO MONSTER” series, express different stories of individuals lives through the relationship between the state of mind and society.

While experimenting with the effect of layering and overlapping thread on top of photographs, the artist began to embroider directly onto the photographs that she had taken of modeled dolls. This distinct practice has since expanded to the production of mixed media works encompassing books, fabric, magazines, and paintings.

KIYOKAWA has furthered this exploration into various genres and media, not only as an embroiderer but also as an artist who is active in a variety of fields including art direction, creative advertising, film and music video production, and space design. The artist Kiyokawa is also an established writer of children’s books and picture books, having been selected to represent Japan at a congress of the International Board on Books for Young People. In 2020, the artist was appointed the producer of projects enhancing the appeal of the Minamiawaji City area in the efforts to revitalize the traditional Japanese puppet show with over 500 years of history.

KIYOKAWA has been awarded the “ASIAGRAPH Creator’s (Tsumugi) Award” in 2013; “VOGUE JAPAN Women of the Year” in 2012; “VOCA Exhibition Prize” in 2010; and the “Best Debut Award” in 2004. The artist’s notable solo exhibitions include “imma” at Phillips (Tokyo, Japan) in 2020; “Incarnation” at Arario Gallery (Shanghai, China) in 2019; “Adastria: Bijo Saishu” at Space O, Omotesando Hills (Tokyo, Japan) in 2018; and “Asami Kiyokawa: Bijo Saishu” at Art Tower Mito (Ibaraki, Japan) in 2011.