Getting acquainted with Jeff Shetima, a Native American artist of the Zuni Pueblo tribe (*), whose art she has admired for quite some time, greatly influenced her life as an artist thereafter. (Note: Zuni fetish carvers are known for their stone carvings in the forms of animals, appreciated as charms and as art form.)
As she continues to publish her work through social media, Akie’s work has been covered by a broad range of magazines and other publications worldwide. Currently Akie has a social media following of 200,000.
Profile
| Born in Yamagata, Japan Works and lives in Saitama, Japan |
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| After working as a part-time art teacher at a junior high school and as a designer at a design office, in 2010, inspired by a move to an area with beautiful riverbanks nearby, Akie began her work as a stone artist. | |
| *Portrait photo by Hitoshi Yasuda | |
| 【Selected Solo Exhibitions】 | |
| 2022 | Commemorating the Publication of the Art Book「Akie」(SEIZAN GALLERY TOKYO 凸, Tokyo) |
| 2019 | Akie (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
| 2013 | Solo Exhibition (DORADO GALLERY, Tokyo) |
| 2012 | Solo Exhibition (DORADO GALLERY, Tokyo) Solo Exhibition (Zuni Visitor Center, US) |
| 【Selected Group Exhibitions】 | |
| 2020 | Online Exhibition “除災招福 Jo Sai Sho Fuku (Ward off Calamities, Invite Good Luck) :Gods and Yokai in Time of Pandemic” (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo; SEIZAN Gallery, New York) |
| 2016 | “Something Precious: Strawberry” (SEIZAN Gallery, Tokyo) |
| 2013 | “ART ESSENCE EXHIBITION” (DORADO GALLERY, Tokyo) |
| 2011 | “Tenohira size no art-ten” (DORADO GALLERY, Tokyo) |
| 【Publications】 | |
| 2022 | Published “Sekaini tatta hitotsuno ikimono Stone Art: Bokutachiwa Ishikara Umareta” (The only creature in the world Stone art: When stones come alive) published by Shogakukan Inc. |
| 2021 | Forbes (US) |
| 2020 | The Week (US) |
| 2019 | French daily newspaper for children “Le Petit Quotidien” (France) |
| 2018 | Website “Mother Nature Network” (US) “The Metro newspaper” (Finland, Russia) *The Metro newspapers is published by Swedish global media company, Metro International in twenty countries “Dogs Monthly” Magazine (UK) |
| 2017 | Paradijsvogels Magazine “ODE AAN DE VERWONDERING” (Netherlands) |
| 【Awards】 | |
| 2013 | Kohji Mori Special Prize, the 2nd Berlin Art Festival at the Charlottenburg Palace, Germany |
| 2011 | Grand-Prix “Your Favourite,” Toronto Art Festival 2011, Canada |
Exhibitions
SEIZAN GALLERY TOKYO 凸 Commemorating the Publication of the Art Book「Akie」
11/10/2022(tue) - 28/10/2022(fri)
Online Exhibition “除災招福 Jo Sai Sho Fuku (Ward off Calamities, Invite Good Luck) :Gods and Yokai in Time of Pandemic”
10/04/2020(fri) - 07/12/2023(thu)
Ruiji Aiba, Akie, Toshiyuki Enoki, Aki Fukui, Yukiko Hata, Yasushi Ikejiri, Eri Iwasaki, Haruomi Izumi, Takashi Kanazawa, Hiroshi Kanzaki, Emi Katsuta, Ryu Kitazawa, Yoji Kumagai, machumaYu, Yuko Murakoshi, Ayako Nakamura, Shunsuke Ochi, Akifumi Okumura, Ken Shiozaki, Kei Sugiyama, Asako Tabata, Shinya Tamai, Taro Tasaki, Kenki Tsujimoto, Koki Tsujimoto, Haruki Yamaba, Ami Yamashiro, Yuki Yatsu
Akie
05/11/2019(tue) - 16/11/2019(sat)