I saw Misaki Kawai’s work for the first time in 2004 when one of her pieces was part of a group show at Deitch Projects, the coolest New York City contemporary art gallery at the time. I remember clearly that instinctive feeling I got of being in front of something that had a lot more raw talent, heart and humor than half the other things I had seen in that show, and perhaps elsewhere, in a long time. Kawai’s colorful and dynamic pieces have evolved but they continue to engage and move me while her career has calmly and steadily been on the rise.

Ever since that Deitch exhibit, her work has been included in a variety of solo and group shows around the world including the Institute of Contemporary Art ICA Boston, The Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, P.S. 1 MOMA Contemporary Art Center in New York City, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, The Watermill Center in New York and The Children’s Museum of Art in New York City.