Tsai & Yoshikawa
Artist Studio
Tsai & Yoshikawa
London-based artists Hsiao-Chi Tsai and Kimiya Yoshikawa are choreographers of culture, colour, material and expression. They work collaboratively on distinctive art installations and sculptural interventions, exploring classical notions of colour, material, shape and form that are derived from nature. From glass and metal to neoprene, Jesmonite, Perspex, fiberglass, UV pigments and blacklight, each material is subjected to new techniques. Their unique sensibility to re-examine the characteristics of materials composes a playful rhythm between form and void.
As diverse as their materials and techniques, Tsai & Yoshikawa’s inspiration for shapes and forms for the work of art ranges from feathers and flowers to sea anemone and jellyfish; and from microscopic details to the giant swirls of galaxies. Their work opens the mind to new possibilities. The celebration of natural organic forms is the characteristic of their work. They present viewers with familiar shapes but simultaneously lead them on a journey of discovering new elements.
The duo has undertaken numerous commissions, projects and exhibitions internationally, debuting in 2007 with a spectacular sequence of seven large-scale window displays for the Harvey Nichols’ flagship store in London. Most prominently, The Lion, a permanent sculpture unveiled in 2009 in London’s Chinatown, was recognised as the prestigious Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture in 2009 in the UK. Their largest permanent commission is a series of 9-storey-high hanging sculptures Aquatic Flora I & II for the new East Wing atriums at St. Thomas’ Hospital in Westminster London. The Tail of the Ocean Carousel is one of their most recent collaboration with Hermès UK and Ireland for the 2022/2023 festive windows and in-store art installation. Their works were exhibited in indoor and outdoor spaces in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK.
Hsiao-Chi Tsai (b.1981, Taiwan)
Born in Taiwan, Tsai first expressed her artistic talent through traditional Chinese painting and watercolour painting. In 1999, she travelled to England to pursue her artistic career. During her training, she discovered her passion for textiles and her talent for creating large-scale sculptural work. She gained her BA degree in Textile Design in Chelsea College of Arts in 2004, after which she studied at Royal College of Art in London and obtained her MA in Mixed-media Textiles.
Combining hand and industrial methods, Tsai has developed innovative processes that transform flat materials into organic sculptural pieces. Tsai’s unique approach of using non-textile materials such as, foam, Perspex and sheet metal, combined with a strong textile aesthetic to create large-scale intricate sculptures, has won her impressive site-specific commissions.
Her practice has tandem paths in both art and design, alongside creating site-specific sculptural artworks. She creates luxurious ready-to-wear sculptural accessories. The range has a couture line since the pieces are created to commission via one-on-one designer or client consultations and fittings. The unashamed bold shapes belie the pieces surprising weightlessness and wearable finessed elegant finishes.Her eye-catching accessories are designed for the confident and expressive modern woman, earning her a cult following of journalists, artists and ceramicists.
Kimiya Yoshikawa (b.1980, Japan)
Born and raised in an artistic family in Japan, Yoshikawa has a strong interest in cultures. He moved to London in 2000 and received his BA in Fine Art Sculpture from Chelsea College of Arts in 2004. He was awarded Master of Art in Sculpture at The Royal College of Art in London in 2006. Yoshikawa’s work is predominantly object and installation based. His works often create a frame for the viewer to readdress how they view the mundane and notions of identity in a humorous and unpredictable way.
Yoshikawa continuously investigates and explores his own practice through varied media. His first artistic encounter of permanent public art was his proposal for an experimental bronze sculpture Wonder Wandle Tree in 2002, which was selected for commission by Sustrans Wandle Cycling Trail. Yoshikawa also makes abstract drawings and sees them sitting the boundaries between seeing and being. His drawing series Figure was awarded the Tom Bendhem Prize for Drawing Figure in 2006. His drawings are in private collections including the British celebrity TV chef, John Torode, who hosted an exhibition in his renowned Smith of Smithfield Restaurant in Farringdon, London.