BIO
Aya Kakeda
Born in Tokyo, Aya Kakeda graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design and later completed her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, and Tokyo.
Kakeda has collaborated with international companies and media including NIKE, Delta, Disney Hyperion Books, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.
Her major solo exhibitions include those at Manhattan Children’s Museum (New York), AG Gallery (New York), and Raw Salt Art Gallery (California). She has also participated in group exhibitions at SculptureCenter NYC (New York), KxB Gallery (Amsterdam), Giant Robot Gallery (California), Musée International des Arts Modestes (France), and Jonathan LeVine Gallery (New York). Her work is included in the collection of the NRW-Forum Museum (Germany).
Kakeda has received numerous international awards, including honors from the Society of Illustrators New York. Most recently, she received the Kurihara Gallery Award at the 2025 IAG Open Exhibition.
In addition to her artistic practice, she has worked as an educator, serving as a full-time instructor at prestigious institutions such as the Fashion Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts, and has conducted workshops and lectures at Parsons School of Design and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Instagram: @ayakakeda
Website: ayakakeda.com
