AIKO

AIKO was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, before moving to New York City in the mid-90s. She came to the US to seek a career as an artist. While growing her artistic experience, she assisted for artist Takashi Murakami’s studio and earned an MFA in Media Studies from The New School University. While working in Murakami’s studio, AIKO became interested in spending time on the streets and produced graffiti and street art with local artists, even though she was one of the few women working in this scene at the time. AIKO is a founding member of the artist collective FAILE, working with two other American male artists until 2005 when she branched out to seek a solo career. AIKO appreciated the unique expression and boldness that the medium required. In a male-dominated scene, she stood her ground against mistreatment or disrespect that she faced by making provocative, powerful, and feminine art. Her work combines her Japanese heritage with the urban landscape of NYC to create thought-provoking works of strong female figures. Yet AIKO’s art is also soft and tender, examining her life experiences, childhood memories, and romantic fantasies. 

AIKO developed her personal technique of stencil painting, a method used to create streetart in layers like one might create a linocut. This process takes a tremendous amount oftime to hand-cut each unique and intricately detailed design. She produces many stencilsover hundreds of hours, which are then carried to the site where she paints the art. AIKO is acclaimed internationally in both the contemporary art world and the urban art scene. She has collaborated with fellow artists like Banksy for the Oscar-nominated film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Her large-scale works are installed in many cities, including Miamiʼs Wynwood Walls and NYC’s Bowery Wall, also known as the Keith Haring Wall curated by Jeffrey Deitch. Her original works have been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Shanghai MoCA, and the Saatchi Gallery in London. She incorporates her art into multi-media collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Estée Lauder, and she has received commissions from major clients such as W Hotels, the World Trade Center, and even former First Lady Michelle Obama.

SELECTED WORKS