KYNE

KYNE was born in Fukuoka in 1988. He began his activities in Fukuoka around 2006, and by 2010, he had established his signature style of depicting women against simple backgrounds. 

In 2020, he created the mural *Untitled* at the Fukuoka Art Museum, garnering significant attention. In recent years, he has also been gaining recognition internationally.

KYNE's works are characterized by iconic female figures that are cool, stylish, and exude a sense of inner strength. He majored in Japanese painting at university, developing an interest in flat, minimalistic compositions with little movement. Alongside the trajectory of contemporary artists with a background in Japanese painting, such as Takashi Murakami, he was also influenced by graffiti. This fusion explains the urban and fashion-oriented aesthetic present in KYNE's works.

KYNE deliberately bases his activities in Fukuoka, a regional city, rather than engaging with the art community centered in Tokyo. With the rise of social media, he embodies a perspective that comes from distancing himself from the Tokyo-centric focus, aiming to stay at the forefront of the art scene. His creative approach and direction reflect a distinctly contemporary mindset.

 

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At the 2019 "Art Fair Tokyo", KYNE's works sparked fierce competition among collectors. Since then, he has gained explosive popularity in the Japanese art scene. His large-scale solo exhibition, "ADAPTATION–KYNE", held at the Fukuoka Art Museum in 2024, received widespread acclaim.