ETSU EGAMI

Where did Etsu Egami grow up and study art?

Born in Tokyo in 1994, Etsu’s call to painting was influenced by her father, a respected Japanese artist. Her upbringing involved visits to the United States and Europe, where she faced communication barriers. Etsu earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Oil Painting from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing in 2016. She also studied at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) in Germany and completed her Master of Fine Arts under the mentorship of Liu Xiaodong at CAFA. Additionally, she spent time in New York on a trip enabled by the Japanese Government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.

What themes does Etsu Egami explore in her art?

Etsu’s works focus on the essence of communication, inspired by her encounters with language barriers across different cultures. In an interview with Ocula Advisory in 2022, she reflected on how she sees language as ‘both a tool for and obstacle to communication’. She questions the nature of communication and believes it emerges when we ‘acknowledge distance and uncertainty’.

How does Etsu Egami create her paintings?

Etsu Egami’s signature painting style features broad, translucent, dripping brushstrokes across large-scale canvases. She favours oil paint over acrylic, which she believes to be ‘plastic, frivolous, and superficial’. Etsu also finds the Western origins of oil painting to be an intriguing medium to explore as an Asian artist, when the introduction of oil paint into Asia came at a time of ‘modernisation, as well as conflict’.

The translucent brushstrokes in rainbow hues—blues, pinks, purples, reds, and yellows—have a prismatic effect, evoking blurred or distorted visual messages. Etsu’s process includes intentional irregularities, mimicking the imperfections and interruptions in human dialogue. The horizontal strokes that comprise many of her paintings’ backgrounds evoke scanlines yet also provide structure against which the swirled strokes of her figures can emerge.

Where does Etsu Egami exhibit her art?

Etsu has showcased her works in solo exhibitions across the globe, including:

• Oriental Mystery, HOW Art Museum, Shanghai (9 June–24 July 2023)
• Rainbow, Tang Contemporary Art, Seoul (1 September–8 October 2022)
• Melody, KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin–St. Agnes (17 January–23 February 2025).

Her works have also appeared in group exhibitions such as:

• Hello Future, Where are we?, CAFA Museum, Beijing (2021)
• UNSCHEDULED, Tai Kwun Contemporary Museum, Hong Kong (2020)
• Little Fables, Whitestone Gallery, Hong Kong (2020)

How have critics received Etsu Egami’s work?

Egami’s exploration of communication has been met with critical acclaim. At a forum during Estu’s exhibition at the Chiba City Museum of Art, Julie Champion, Associate Curator at the Centre Pompidou, has highlighted how Egami transforms misunderstandings into creative opportunities, remarking that these moments become ‘a source of richness in people’s relationships.’

Hazel Ellis | Ocula | 2025