Kahori Kamiya: Sacred Threads

Kahori Kamiya is a Japanese-born artist who relocated to New York, where she earned her second MFA in Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts. Currently residing and working in Rockland County, NY. Through sculpture, painting, video, and performance, her practice is deeply influenced by motherhood and rooted in Japanese traditional beliefs that reveres the natural world. By examining universal human experiences and the cyclical nature of life, her work embodies nurturing, care, and love—values drawn from her heritage and her journey as a mother.

Early in her career, she was honored to create the Cherry Blossom Venus sculpture for the Fuji Sengen Shrine in Japan. She has developed works like the Nursing Venuses, crafted with unfired clay, gold leaf, and crystals. As a Reiki healer, Kamiya draws to clay for its tactile immediacy and its ability to carry energy, infusing her sculptures with a spiritual essence.

Her recent Goshintai Sculptures translating the body of spirits, explore the mystical elements of Japanese traditional beliefs, addressing universal themes of the human relationship with nature. The duality of nature—at once severe and nourishing—parallels her motherhood experiences.

Kamiya has completed residencies at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), ChaNorth, and Prospect Gallery sponsored by Prospect City in Australia. Her work has been recognized with grants and awards from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Arts Westchester, Puffin Foundation, Hudson Valley MOCA, Center on Contemporary Art, and Kitano Foundation. Her projects have been supported by organizations including the Brooklyn Arts Council, Flux Factory, and The Arts Council of Rockland.

Kamiya’s NY debut solo show "Long Eclipse" at Amos Eno Gallery in 2023 received critical acclaim from Hyperallergic, Art Spiel, among other publications. Her exhibitions include SPRING/BREAK Art Show, the 14th Media Art Biennale Alternative Now in Poland, Dumbo Art Festival, Pärnu International Film & Video Festival in Estonia, and Oculus Westfield World Trade Center in New York. Her works are part of public and private collections in Japan, the UK, Israel, Sweden, and the US.