KAWAI+OKAMURA
Kawai+Okamura is a Japanese creator unit of film and contemporary art.
Takumi Kawai was born in Osaka in 1968. Hiroki Okamura was born in Kyoto in 1968. Formed Kawai+Okamura in 1993 while studying at Kyoto City University of Arts graduate school. Although they created a huge light box work that sculpture and painting were united, gradually its painterly and modeling elements expanded into the image and the first solo exhibition "Over the Rainbow" in 1997 ( Art Space NIJI, Kyoto) created video works for the first time. In 1999, the solo exhibition “The man from The Genre Mountain" (Kyoto City Shijyo Gallery) announced the first cell animation "HOLY & CHEAP". Since then, they have been acting globally, mainly in digital model animation, including “Ficfyon7" (2004). "Columbos" (2012), first showed at the 65th Locarno International Film Festival (2012, Switzerland), is the best award of animated film of International Short Film Competition at Krakow Film Festival (2013, Poland), and they received Honorary Mention in the Computer Animation / Film / VFX section of Ars Electronica Festival 2014 (Austria) .
Kawai is a professor and Okamura is an associate professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design, department of Information Design.
｜Fine Art Exhibition｜
1997 - Solo Exhibition "Over the Rainbow" Art Space NIJI, Kyoto, Japan
1998 - Group Exhibition "Donai yanen! Et maintenant! : la création contemporaine au Japon" Ecole de Beaux Arts, Paris, France
1999 - Solo Exhibition “The Man from The Genre Mountain" Kyoto City Shijyo Gallery, Kyoto
2002 - Group Exhibition "Video Rally" Gallery Sowaka, Kyoto, Japan
2005 - Group exhibition "KIRIN ART PROJECT 2005" Tamada Project Art Space, Tokyo, KPO KIRIN PLAZA OSAKA, Japan
2006 - Group Exhibition “TORIDE ART PROJECT 2006" Toride City Former Togashira Terminal Treatment Plant, Ibaraki, Japan
2007 - Solo Exhibition “Kawai+Okamura-ma - Summertime Blues Animation -" Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto, Japan
2007 - Solo Exhibition "Criterium 71" ART TOWER MITO, Ibaraki, Japan
2007 - Group Exhibition "2007 Asian Art Biennial" National Taiwan Museum of Art, Taipei, Taiwan
2016 - Solo Exhibition "Mood Hall / Mood Hole" Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA, Kyoto, Japan
｜Film Festival｜
2001 - Head Wrest 3001 "The Images Festival of Independent Film and Video" Toronto, Canada
2002 - Head Wrest 3001 "Chofu Film Festival 5th Short Film Competition" Tokyo, Japan (Special Award)
2005 - Ficfyon 7 "Under 10 Minutes Digital Cinema Festival" Tokyo, Japan (Grand Prix)
2005 - Ficfyon 7 "RESFEST 2005 Japan Tour", Tokyo, Japan
2011 - Ficfyon Nine "Contemporary Japanese Film Extras - Voices from Kansai" Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris, Paris, France
2012 - Columbos "Locarno International Film Festival" Locarno, Switzerland
2012 - Columbos "London International Animation Festival" London, UK
2012 - Columbos "Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation" Chicago, USA
2013 - Columbos "International Film Festival Rotterdam" Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2013 - Columbos "Anima Festival (The Brussels Animation Film Festival)" Brussels, Belgium
2013 - Columbos "Krakow Film Festival" Krakow, Poland (International Short Animation Film Section Best Award)
2014 - Columbos "Ars Electoronica 2014" Linz, Austria (Honorary Mention)
2015 - Columbos "FILMFEST DRESDEN International Short Film Festival" Dresden, Germany
2019 - Mood Hall "Animatou International Animation Film Festival 2019" Geneva, Switzerland（Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève Award）
｜TV Programme｜
2000 - TV TOKYO “Vermilion Pleasure Night" (Production: Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd.)