Licensing

Kenzi Shiokava

Born 1938 in São Paulo, Brazil; lives and works in Los Angeles

Kenzi Shiokava arrived in Los Angeles in 1964, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts) in 1972 and a master’s degree from Otis Art Institute (now Otis College of Art and Design) in 1974. He was heavily influenced by the work of his art school peers, who included such noted assemblage artists as John Outterbridge, Noah Purifoy, and Betye Saar. His work, which revolves around wood carving and assemblage, embodies a cultural hybridity that can be seen in his wood and macramé totems, which represent, respectively, his Japanese and Brazilian sides. Shiokava received the Mohn Award for public recognition for his participation in the Hammer Museum’s Made in LA 2016: a, the, though, only. He passed away on June 18, 2021.