KAIGADO Gallery is pleased to present the group exhibition Surrounded by Cats, on view from May 1 (Wed.) through June 6 (Thu.), 2024.

This special exhibition brings together works by acrylic painter Ryuma Imai, illustrator Mai Takewaki, collage artist Kai Hara, copperplate printmaker Yasuko Yamaoka, and copperplate printmaker Yoko Yamamoto. Featuring a wide variety of cat-themed artworks created in diverse media and styles, the exhibition fills the gallery’s window display space with the charm, humor, elegance, and mystery of cats. We invite you to enjoy this delightful celebration of our feline companions.

Ryuma Imai

Born in Tokyo in 1976, Ryuma Imai studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris in 1995. During his late teens, he received artistic training while assisting in the studio of his father, the renowned painter Toshimitsu Imai. He began his own professional artistic practice in 2008.

Using a pouring technique in which enamel and other paints are dripped onto paper or canvas placed on the floor, Imai creates images through lines shaped by chance and gravity. Within these partially uncontrollable forms, he depicts what he calls “beings that live through chance,” capturing a sense of vitality, spontaneity, and unpredictability.

Mai Takewaki

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Aoyama Gakuin University, Mai Takewaki studied at the Setsu Mode Seminar.

She began working as an illustrator while still a student and has since developed a whimsical and humorous artistic world centered on free-spirited cats and other animals. Her works are characterized by warmth, gentle humor, and an affectionate observation of everyday life.

Her published works include illustrations for the picture book Let’s Wake Up Together Tomorrow: The Story of Dekao, a Stray Cat (Soshisha), as well as the detailed coloring book Stories of Flowers, Cats, and Animals (Cosmic Publishing).

Kai Hara

Kai Hara is a collage artist who creates her works by cutting, layering, and assembling hand-colored paper.

Her work is characterized by vibrant colors built up through multiple layers and by the warm, tactile dimensionality unique to the collage medium. Through the careful combination of color, texture, and form, she creates compositions that possess both visual richness and a distinctive sense of depth.

Hara is particularly known for her imaginative and delicately crafted depictions of animals. Her works combine meticulous attention to detail with a playful artistic sensibility, resulting in images that are both elegant and engaging. The layered structure of the paper creates subtle relief-like surfaces, giving her subjects a lively presence and enhancing the expressive qualities of each piece.

Drawing upon the possibilities of collage, Hara transforms hand-colored paper into vibrant worlds filled with warmth, movement, and charm. Her unique artistic language celebrates the beauty of color and the wonder of the natural world, inviting viewers to discover new details with every encounter.

Yasuko Yamaoka

Born in Kyoto, Yasuko Yamaoka graduated from Kyoto University of the Arts.

Her work often depicts anthropomorphized cats, music, and scenes filled with warmth and nostalgia. In recent years, she has been particularly inspired by Paris and has created numerous works featuring the city’s streets and atmosphere.

Her illustrations have appeared on book covers for major Japanese publishers including Shueisha, Kodansha, and Chikuma Shobo, as well as on CD jackets such as Hayao Miyazaki Collection – Relaxing Piano.

Yoko Yamamoto

Yoko Yamamoto is a leading copperplate printmaker born in Saitama Prefecture in 1952 and raised in Osaka. She completed her studies in Western painting at Kyoto City University of Arts.

Her major awards include the Seibu Prize at the Japan Contemporary Print Grand Prize Exhibition (1978), the Kyoto City New Artist Award (1980), the Excellence Award at the Korean International Print Biennale (1983), the Kodansha Publishing Culture Award for Book Design (1992), the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Award for Distinguished Achievement (2007), the Kyoto Art and Culture Award (2011), and recognition as a Person of Cultural Merit by the City of Kyoto (2013).

Since 2005, Yamamoto has devoted herself to “Hospital Art,” one of her major ongoing projects. Believing in the healing power of art, she creates murals and site-specific works for hospitals and healthcare facilities, helping to create environments where patients, doctors, nurses, and visitors alike can experience comfort and peace of mind.