＊日本語 Japanese

Biography: 

Emi Kusano, a Tokyo-based multidisciplinary artist, creates hyperrealistic representations of collective and individual memories using AI technology. Her work, gracing the cover of WWD Japan and featured in Christie's and Gucci auctions, has been internationally exhibited at venues like the Saatchi Gallery, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and Grand Palais Immersif. 

Full Bio: 
Emi Kusano, born in Tokyo in 1990, began her artistic journey as a street photographer in Harajuku in her teens, leading to an exhibit at the V&A Museum. As a multidisciplinary artist, she explores the universal theme of human nature across past, present, and future, using AI technology to create hyperrealistic representations of collective and individual memories within Japanese society. Her unique AI-infused art has been featured in prominent auctions, including a 2023 collaboration with Gucci and Christie’s for a virtual dress, as well as a 2024 charity auction co-hosted by Christie’s and UNHCR. Her work has graced the cover of WWD Japan and has been highlighted in publications such as Forbes, Vogue, and ELLE. Internationally recognized, her work has been exhibited at venues like the Saatchi Gallery and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and has been collected in over a dozen countries worldwide. In addition to her visual arts career, Emi is the lead singer and self-producer for Satellite Young, a band that creatively reinterprets 80s J-POP styles through a modern, technology-driven, sci-fi lens. This innovative approach has garnered international recognition, including an appearance at SXSW, and extends their creativity to installations.

Artist Statement:

In my work, I employ AI technology to create hyperrealistic representations of collective and individual memories within Japanese society. Transcending the mere replication of reality, this approach aims to explore the universal theme of defining human nature from the past, through the present, and into the future.
Born in 1990 as a member of the digital-native generation, I am fascinated by the era when mass media had the strongest influence (1950s to early 2000s). By examining the allure and dissonance of this period, I critique rapidly evolving technologies in the modern day through the lens of retro-futurism. This theme has been a consistent focus in my work, including my musical journey with Satellite Young and pre-AI installations.　
I primarily create photographs, video art, and installations using generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion. By merging algorithmic uncertainty with my artistic vision, I question the role of the artist in the AI era. I view machines as creative partners in exploring the significance and vulnerability of being human.
In contrast to the "abstraction of reality" techniques employed in Japanese anime and manga, my work infuses abstract memories with a visceral realism through AI technology, blurring the line between recollection and tangible experience.  My inaugural AI art series, Neural Fad, portrays Japan’s unique street culture based on powerful language models biased towards Western culture. Melancholic Magical Maiden is a multi-faceted approach to examining gender perspectives in 90s magical girl and robot anime. Through these anime-inspired motifs, I attempt to symbolize post-war guilt and patriarchy in Japan from a critical point of view.
Many of my pieces incorporate self-portraits generated by training AI using my own facial data as a reference, allowing me to investigate how information technology influences identity formation.
In our current AI era, the boundary between truth and fiction is becoming exponentially ambiguous, with an overwhelming flood of information beyond our cognitive capacity. While this may seem to point to a dystopian future, there are more pressing matters for discussion. We might be the last generation capable of sharing such intense nostalgia. Using my art as a common language for discourse, I encourage a reevaluation of the present time.

【Project】

• Co-founder of Web3 Anime Project Shinsei Galverse

• Lead Singer and Music Composer, Synth-wave Music Unit Satellite Young

【Positon】

• Part-time Lecturer, Tokyo University of the Arts (2019~ Present)

• CEO / Co-Founder, Fictionera Co., Ltd. (2021~ Present)

【Education】

• 2015・Keio University BA -  Design 

【Selected Exhibitions】

• 2024-03: Artificial Dreams (Grand Palais Immersif, Paris)

• 2024-03: Now in Digital Art: Game Room (Akbank Sanat, Istanbul)

• 2023-12. Neural Fad:  AI dreams Nostalgia,   “NIPPON   TV IMAGINARIUM AWARD 2023” award jury presentation, organized by NIPPON TV, (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

• 2023-12. The Gateway Miami - Art Basel Miami (Ferena Forum)

• 2023-10: "DXP (Digital Transformation Planet): Towards the Next Interface" (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa)

• 2023-10: Long Live London (Saatchi Gallery)

• 2023-09: "E-Motions" (UNIT London)

• 2023-07: "Christie's 3.0 presents Future Frequencies: Explorations in Generative Art and Fashion in collaboration with Gucci" (Rockefeller Center)

• 2023-06: "Non Fungible Conference" (Carlos Lopes Pavilion)

• 2023-05: "Bright Moments Tokyo" (Shibuya Parco)

• 2020-08: "Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk" (Victoria and Albert Museum)

• 2019-11: "SIGGRAPH ASIA Art Gallery" (Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre)

• 2018-03: "Art Hack Day" (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)

• 2011-04: "Japan Fashion Now" (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York)

* For information on all exhibitions and event appearances, please click here​

【Award】​

• ​Lumen Prize Finalist (2024)

• Winning Prize "Meta Morph Award"  AI Video (2024)

• Winning Prize "SIGGRAPH Asia Asia Art Gallery " (2019)

• Jury Award "Art Hack Day" (2018)