The Creative Polymath: Kenzo Minami
A casual chat about art and creativity can go in many different directions. However, when you broach those topics with Japan-to-NYC transplant Kenzo Minami, you’re assured an epic conversation about what it truly means to live an art-driven life. During the last 15 years, the well-rounded artist/graphic designer has completed commissions for some of the most respected global companies. He’s even had one of his projects exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. At this point in his career, it’s fair to say that he’s pretty much seen it all. But still, he continues to champion new projects and blaze unchartered trails. Kenzo recently stopped by the Onassis cafe to discuss his career to date and plans for the years ahead.
How would you describe yourself: art director, visual creator or graphic designer?
After operating in different mediums, studying product design, doing set and prop design, working a 7-year stint in broadcast design (I was a partner at a broadcast design production company), and eventually being hired as an “artist” for various projects, I’m becoming more comfortable being considered simply as a graphic designer — or at least that’s what I strive to be. However in contradiction to all that, I feel I should be more proactive regarding creating and proposing projects from my end, as opposed to waiting for someone to approach me with suggestions.
You have worked with several huge companies: Mercedes Benz, Coca-Cola, Nike, Adidas and more. Do you have a favorite project you worked on with these massive brands?
I was pretty fortunate to be granted a lot of freedom working with them, and even when I encountered creative challenges, I had fun because I knew that it was good for my creativity. I am happy with all the projects I was able to work on. But the first Nike project was definitely special in terms of the fact that this was one of the first projects I did as a solo artist. This was also the project that Matt Clark and Alex Calderwood gave me a chance with when I was struggling to have a proper personal creative outlet while heavily involved in very commercial projects.
Tell us about your relationship with the late Ace Hotel founder, Alex Calderwood. It seems he was a very influential person in your artistic development.
Yes he was, and he was very influential to many people’s creative paths. I am one of the many fortunate ones who can say that I owe my career to Alex – I’m one of the many “Calderwood’s Children.” When I was still working in TV advertising and couldn’t find a proper outlet to express what I wanted to do creatively, I started taking some extra hours after work to do my own thing – just for the sake of keeping my sanity. One day, I made this quick little sticker for fun, just for the hell of it. As luck would have it, this sticker traveled west and ended up in the hands of Matt Clark, who used to own Houston Gallery, and was working for Nike at the time. The late Alex Calderwood of Ace Hotel was working as a part of the marketing agency, Neverstop, and they were involved in a project to open a Nike Art Space in NY. After seeing this sticker, they contacted me and asked if they could see more of my art. After seeing my portfolio, they gave me a 50-ft space to cover with a mural painting. After that, I did another show with Nike, and I’ve done 2 murals for Ace Hotel (one in Portland and the other in New York). Ace Hotel was also the first to contact me when the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami happened in Japan in 2011, and we released the Japan Relief T-shirt together. Alex gave tremendous support to the entire creative scene, and he continued to support me throughout my career. He was a mentor to a lot of us, and he is truly missed.
With regards to your earlier video directing work, we have to ask you about your work with the Wu-Tang Clan. How was that experience?
I worked on art direction for those projects (mainly on motion graphics) as part of the production company I was a partner of. But it definitely was a crazy ride to work with them. There are so many amazing experiences I had, and I was very fortunate to be part of that.
On a whole, how would you say the art scene in NYC has changed over the last 10 years?
I actually don’t think it really has changed much. Yes, the cost of living in New York is much more ridiculous now, and it is hard to be in any creative field, but it really was never easy anyway. It was ridiculous then, and it is ridiculous now. It was never meant to be easy, and we all knew that before going in. The rent is indeed too damn high, but it has always had been too damn high. We are complaining about the exact same things that we did 10 years ago. People often say the art scene now is too commercial and hype-driven, but this has always been the same for centuries as well. There were no good old days, or no Old New York for us to miss.
Please share a little bit about the fashion work you have done with Eastpak, Engineered Garments etc?
I did the double-name collaboration (which consisted of a backpack and trolley) with Eastpak in 2012. With Engineered Garments, I did a show called “13, ” in which the main pieces were a collection of dual-printed newsprints released at their NYC store, Nepenthes in January 2013. We also made limited edition collaboration t-shirts. Additionally, Engineered Garments has a seasonal magazine they started last season, and I have a feature with them for Vol.2. This should be coming out very soon.
You also have a line of graphic t-shirts dropping in January of 2016. What can we expect from this?
This is a light reboot (sort of like the EP as opposed to the full album) of the garment project line I had from 2004 till 2011 (which sold at Barneys New York and Isetan in Tokyo among many others). The interesting thing about this is that the Isetan team from Tokyo contacted me to see if I would be up for rebooting my line. I am starting the first season this time around as an exclusive at Isetan, and we’ll see where it goes after that.
Let’s talk about your own fashion style. What are some pieces/accessories that are always in constant rotation in your wardrobe?
At this point in my life, I don’t really have any. I used to bind myself with multiple sartorial (or otherwise) rules of my own, but now I am not really stuck with them anymore. I am definitely freer and more open to any ideas.
When you’re not working or creating, what are your favorite things to do (or places to go) in NYC to kick back and relax?
Reading. Book stores (especially Mast Books & Alabaster Bookshop). Sitting on park benches with coffee. Walking over the Williamsburg Bridge, which is near my house. But really, I love staying home the best, to relax.
Is there any area/discipline left in the field of art & culture that you still have a yearning to do?
I would love to work with theatre. I would also love to do more textile designs as well as designing stationery. I would also like to go back to a bit of motion graphics, more along the line of title sequences.
Lastly, what new projects and artistic ventures can we expect from you in the near future?
As preciously mentioned, there is the reboot of my Garment Project. This is the one I definitely would love to keep at and expand. I am also contributing to Art for Tibet in honor of the Dalai Lama’s 80th year in December, which is a partnership with Paddle8. I am also contributing to the new book about sticker culture from Rizzoli. I have also been working on some branding projects in the US and Japan. The project I finished this summer was for a store and company called “niko and …” in Japan. They have a chain of stores and cafes with their own line of products all over Japan. I designed the new logos for their cafe. It was a rare case in which I was asked to come up with the copy within the logo, which will also include my creator’s credit. They will also use these for different goods and merchandise soon (with my credit on each item!). That’s coming up soon as well.
To keep up with Kenzo, follow him on Instagram at: @kenzominami
You can also visit his website here.
