Ai Kijima
Encyclopedia
Ai Kijima, born in 1970 in Tokyo
, Japan
, is a contemporary artist currently residing in New York City
. She is noted for her use of traditional quilting techniques to create colorful fabric collages from found materials such as bed sheets, vintage kimonos, t-shirts, curtains, and dishtowels.
Ai Kijima (born 1970) was born and raised in Tokyo
, Japan
. At an early age, Kijima's grandmother taught her how to sew, crochet, and knit, and she soon developed a life-long love for fabric.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197 Now, Kijima's works incorporate vintage fabrics and other materials that she collected over the years from flea market
s and thrift shops in the United States and Japan.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
While a high school senior, Kijima became a foreign exchange student in a small town in Wisconsin
. Only after Kijima's high school art teacher in Wisconsin recommended art school did Kijima consider pursuing art in her education and as a profession.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
Following her student exchange in Wisconsin, Kijima moved to Chicago
to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kijima graduated with a BFA
degree in 2002, and later earned her MFA
in Fiber and Material Studies in 2005.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/artists/ai-kijima/?view=bio
Kijima's artwork is notable for her use of appropriation
and traditional quilting
techniques to create colorful, chaotic fabric collage
s from found materials, including bed sheets, vintage kimonos, t-shirts, picnic blankets, curtains, pillowcases, and dishtowels. Many of Kijima's works incorporate familiar pop culture iconography in ambiguous, often poetic, ways. One ongoing series of works is entitled "Erehwon" ("Nowhere" spelled backwards), which suggests the contradictory nature of the world portrayed in Kijima's art.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
Kijima's work has been widely exhibited.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/artists/ai-kijima/?view=bio While she was still attending art school, one of Kijima's pieces appeared in an exhibition focused on the intersection of art and intellectual property law, Illegal Art
.http://www.illegal-art.org/print/ Her first solo exhibition, "Mediated Pop," was held at the Peter Miller Gallery in Chicago from September 9 - October 15, 2005.http://www.petermillergallery.com/more.php?id=69_0_3_0
In 2006, Kijima moved from Chicago to New York City
, where she is currently a studio artist represented by Franklin Parrasch Gallery. Kijima's second solo exhibition, "Fused and Quilted," was held at Franklin Parrasch Gallery in New York from September 12 - October 18, 2006.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/exhibitions/2006_9_ai-kijima/ Subsequently, Kijima's work has appeared in a number of public collections and exhibitions around the world, including a solo exhibition of newer work at Hilger Contemporary in Vienna
from January 12, 2010 to February 23, 2010.http://www.hilger.at/858_EN.53A44E4f162f46ce24c0ef5e18d8d89210e56c1
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, is a contemporary artist currently residing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is noted for her use of traditional quilting techniques to create colorful fabric collages from found materials such as bed sheets, vintage kimonos, t-shirts, curtains, and dishtowels.
Life and art
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. At an early age, Kijima's grandmother taught her how to sew, crochet, and knit, and she soon developed a life-long love for fabric.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197 Now, Kijima's works incorporate vintage fabrics and other materials that she collected over the years from flea market
Flea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
s and thrift shops in the United States and Japan.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
While a high school senior, Kijima became a foreign exchange student in a small town in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Only after Kijima's high school art teacher in Wisconsin recommended art school did Kijima consider pursuing art in her education and as a profession.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
Following her student exchange in Wisconsin, Kijima moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kijima graduated with a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in 2002, and later earned her MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in Fiber and Material Studies in 2005.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/artists/ai-kijima/?view=bio
Kijima's artwork is notable for her use of appropriation
Appropriation (art)
Appropriation is a fundamental aspect in the history of the arts . Appropriation can be understood as "the use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work."...
and traditional quilting
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
techniques to create colorful, chaotic fabric collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
s from found materials, including bed sheets, vintage kimonos, t-shirts, picnic blankets, curtains, pillowcases, and dishtowels. Many of Kijima's works incorporate familiar pop culture iconography in ambiguous, often poetic, ways. One ongoing series of works is entitled "Erehwon" ("Nowhere" spelled backwards), which suggests the contradictory nature of the world portrayed in Kijima's art.http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=197
Kijima's work has been widely exhibited.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/artists/ai-kijima/?view=bio While she was still attending art school, one of Kijima's pieces appeared in an exhibition focused on the intersection of art and intellectual property law, Illegal Art
Illegal Art
Illegal Art is a sampling label that was started by a person using the name Philo T. Farnsworth in 1998. The label was instantly launched to infamy with the legal threats surrounding Deconstructing Beck, a compilation made exclusively from sampling Beck's music. This was followed by two other...
.http://www.illegal-art.org/print/ Her first solo exhibition, "Mediated Pop," was held at the Peter Miller Gallery in Chicago from September 9 - October 15, 2005.http://www.petermillergallery.com/more.php?id=69_0_3_0
In 2006, Kijima moved from Chicago to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she is currently a studio artist represented by Franklin Parrasch Gallery. Kijima's second solo exhibition, "Fused and Quilted," was held at Franklin Parrasch Gallery in New York from September 12 - October 18, 2006.http://www.franklinparrasch.com/exhibitions/2006_9_ai-kijima/ Subsequently, Kijima's work has appeared in a number of public collections and exhibitions around the world, including a solo exhibition of newer work at Hilger Contemporary in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
from January 12, 2010 to February 23, 2010.http://www.hilger.at/858_EN.53A44E4f162f46ce24c0ef5e18d8d89210e56c1
Further reading
- Davis, Ben. "Crazy Quilts", artnet Magazine, October 13, 2006. Retrieved on January 3, 2007.
- Gillespie, Spike. Quilting Art, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7603-3526-0.
- Stevens, Dennis. "Japanese Mind, Western Things: The Quilted Textiles of Ai Kijima", Redefining Craft, 2006. Retrieved on January 11, 2007.
- Sonnenberg, Rhonda. "Layer upon layer", Fiberarts, vol. 32, no. 1 (Summer 2005).