KUNIKO MAEDA

RESIDENCY SHORTLISTED ARTISTS CRAFTS

2026

“I am based in London. I studied Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts and trained in traditional wood carving in Kyoto. My practice has developed through a sustained focus on material-based processes and experimental approaches to making. I recently completed the Homo Faber Fellowship, sponsored by Mazda Europe, and undertook a residency at the Sarabande Foundation in 2023/24, where I developed new bodies of work through material exploration and technical experimentation. I have exhibited internationally and in the UK, including Collect Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery (group exhibition), and a solo exhibition at the Coronet Theatre. International presentations include Milan Design Week, Madrid Design Week, and Révélations in Paris, where my work Columbidae was selected as the visual identity for the 2023 edition. I have also collaborated with Mazda España and Soane Britain. My upcoming exhibition will take place at the Embassy of Japan in the UK. “

“I am a multidisciplinary artist working primarily with paper, exploring the intersection of traditional craftsmanship, material experimentation, and digital processes. Influenced by my study of traditional wood carving in Kyoto and a background in textile design, my practice draws on Japanese philosophies of materiality and transformation. Using techniques such as paper engineering, cutting, stitching, and the traditional natural dye kakishibu, I transform materials into durable sculptural forms that challenge perceptions of fragility and value. I combine handcraft processes with digital tools such as laser cutting, allowing works to be shaped by both intention and the inherent behaviour of the material. My work reflects a dialogue between control and chance. By investigating their possibilities and unique properties, I allow materials to speak through naturally formed abstractions.”