Etsu Egami (born 1994 in Chiba, Japan) lives and works in Tokyo.
She studied at Kalsruhe University of Art and Design. In 2016, she received her bachelor’s degree from the Central Academy of fine arts in Beijing, specializing in oil painting. She then completed her Master of fine Arts at the same institution under the artist Liu Xiaodong. Etsu Egami is a representative of the third generation of post-war contemporary Japanese artists active in Japan, China, the United States and Europe. Having grown up in the United States and Europe and currently living and working in Tokyo, she has repeatedly encountered various language barriers. Egami believes that languages „can only be felt, not explained.“
Through her art, she finds a medium of communication that breaks through these language barriers by using various forms of media, such as voice, video, drawings and paintings.
„Etsu’s Creation is about the concept and the significance of communication“
-Curator Feng Bo Yi
Even in the reception of her paintings, for example her work „Rainbow“, a miscommunication occurs at the beginning. The broad brushstrokes of rich, luminous color make one mistake Egami’s artworks for abstract compositions. However, if you take a step back, human silhouettes, animals and other motifs (in this case a rainbow) begin to emerge from the dynamically winding brushstrokes and captivate the viewer. The rhythmic flow of her brush invites us into the physical and performative act of painting. Her works have been exhibited in international museums such as the Guggennheim Museum in New York and the Grand Palais in Paris, as well as at the Beijing International Media Art Biennale and the 3rd CAFAM Biennale.
