This is a four panel 10 foot long and 6 foot high screen completed carved from enamel on wood. Kenichi was a huge hit at PULSE last year and also immediately sold out all his work at Art Chicago. This is the newest and largest piece he was ever completed. This piece will be installed at the new FLASHPOINT ACADEMY campus in downtown Chicago. Thanks to Mark Moore of Mark Moore Gallery in California Gallery for helping in the acquisition of this work directly from Kenichi's studio in Japan.
Born in Kanazawa, Japan, Yokono graduated in 1997 from Kanazawa College of Art. Since college he has been an art instructor while developing his own unique style of work. This year he received the Tom Eccels Prize for his work and, in 2003, he was awarded the Eriko Osaka Prize. Kenichi carves woodblocks much the same as a printmaker does, but the blocks become the work and no graphic edition is ever printed. The blocks present dramatic manga- like images depicting Kenichi's views of urban living and deal with aspects of painting, drawing, and sculpture all at the same time.
