Kuniko Maeda

Kuniko is a Japanese multi-disciplinary artist with an international presence, currently based in London. She initially studied traditional woodcarving in Kyoto, Japan, before relocating to London in 2011. Kuniko holds a BA and an MA in Textile Design from Chelsea College of Arts and later achieved an MA in Fine Art from Middlesex University.

Rooted in material processes, Kuniko's practice is deeply influenced by her expertise in sustainable textile design and traditional craft techniques. She predominantly creates 3D artworks using paper, often recycled, and combines it with other materials such as acrylic paint, vegetable-tanned leather, or natural lacquer derived from the Japanese fruit, persimmon. Attracted to the lightness, delicacy, and flexibility of paper she skilfully applies traditional craft techniques together with digital technology to transform flat sheets into intricate 3D structures. These organic and abstracted shapes are elegantly suspended within a white box frame, flanked on each side by non-reflective museum glass.

Kuniko's art explores the connections between nature and humans through the use of materials. She possesses a strong fascination with precision, repetitive patterns, and digitally controlled orders, drawing significant influence from her cultural roots, especially Japanese philosophy and ideas about life cycles. Additionally, western models of materiality, consumerism, and everyday life contribute to her artistic perspective.

Kuniko's achievements include being shortlisted for various awards, such as winning the Spotted Award 2019 at Top Drawer in London's Olympia, being recognized as 'One to Watch' at the Colour in Design Awards 2018, and reaching the finals of the Zealous Emerge Craft Prize 2018. 

Her work has garnered media attention and has been featured in publications like Crafts Magazine, Material, and Inside Artists. She is also an artist in residence at the Sarabande Foundation, established by the late fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen.