Etsu EGAMI Japanese, b. 1994

“Languages can only be sensed, not explained”
- Etsu Egami.

Etsu Egami was born in 1994 in Tokyo, Japan. She becomes immersed in art since her early childhood inspired by her father, who is a recognized artist in Japan, she grew up between the US and Europe and is now living in China. After graduated with a BFA at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), she studied abroad at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. Growing up at the margin of different cultures and languages, her work explores the barriers of communication, through diverse forms of media, included vocal recordings, videos, and paintings.
 
“And what is beautiful in her works is that she sees all these specificities as a source, not only of misunderstanding but also of creation and richness in people’s relationships.”

―Julie Champion (Associate curator, Centre Pompidou)
 
Using the rainbow symbol as her painting language, she brings out a discussion about the “shape of communication”, that she perceived in the consciousness of distance that we have with each other. The work of Etsu Egami, especially the “Derori” portraits, raise out the insecurity of human beings and question their feelings in society.

“Rainbow, a symbol of interpersonal communication, will be built by the unconsciousness of the painter and misconception of the audience —— which is also a delicate misunderstanding.”

—Kuang-Yi CHEN(Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts)