Artist
Aya Kawato
川人 綾
Born in Nara in 1988 and raised in Kyoto. Graduated from the Department of Textiles, Faculty of Art and Design, Kyoto Seika University in 2011. Exchange student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2014. Completed the Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Art Expression at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2019. Kawato also studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris as an exchange student, further enriching her artistic perspective.
Kawato's practice blends traditional craft techniques with contemporary methodologies, often questioning the boundaries between control and unpredictability in artistic processes. Her solo exhibitions include “Tsuzuru Minamo” (2024, Imura Art Gallery, Kyoto), “project N 89 KAWATO Aya” (2023, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo), and “Diagonal Dimension” (2022, The Triangle, Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto). She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally, including "The Secrets of Color from Impressionism to Contemporary Art" (2024, Pola Museum of Art, Japan), “Micro-Perception” (2024, Chini Gallery, Taipei) and “Nippon Mania - Contemporary Art from Japan” (2023, Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren, Germany).
Kawato’s works are held in prominent collections such as the University Art Museum at Tokyo University of the Arts and CHANEL K.K., among others. Her achievements include winning the Grand Prix at Rêver 2074 (2017, Comité Colbert, Paris), as well as receiving the Nomura Art Prize (2018, Nomura Foundation, Tokyo).
In addition to exhibitions, Kawato has contributed to significant public and private commissions, such as LONGCHAMP/ Vienna (2021, Vienna), Meta Open Arts Commission / Facebook (2020, Tokyo) and LONGCHAMP / La Maison Ginza (2019, Tokyo). Her work has been featured in publications like ARTnews Japan, The New York Times Style Magazine: Japan, and CNN Style.
Kawato continues to live and work in Kyoto, where she bridges tradition and innovation, weaving together narratives of material, memory, and vision.
