KENJIRO KITADE
Born in Tokyo in 1977, Kenjiro Kitade moved to the U.S. when he was 13. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at New York University, where he studied ceramics. Merely a year after graduating, Kitade began establishing an international reputation by first winning the bronze at the World Ceramic Exposition in South Korea, and later showing at the highly selective SOFA show (Sculpture Objects and Functional Art) in Chicago. The whimsical sculpture that has won him such acclaim teems with contradiction.
Kenjiro Kitade “Frozen” at Ilon Art Gallery 2025
KENJIRO KITADE SHOW LIST DOWNLOAD
ARTIST STATEMENT
From natural cold earth to gleaming high-fire surfaces, clay is the ancient anatomic medium. It is the medium in which time stands still, ideas are frozen, and yet a civilization is represented for all eternity. By working in clay, I have been able to explore significant issues about our antonymous existence, as Selves that can only be defined by the presence of the other.
WORK DESCRIPTIONS
Social Distance 6 feet apart from each other is the space you wish to take advantage of. You will be promised to have enough radius for your comfortable personal space. Exaggeration of the code “Social Distance”, which was once commonly understood among us who have passed through the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Flipped This series of work is influenced by the people who bent over yet stood still on the streets of New York. It seems quite an odd circumstance yet rather it is recognized as a natural scenery that has become a part of the landscape.
Beg This work is inspired by the proverb “Today a man, tomorrow none” .
