Aoki, K: Kenji Aoki

Born in Tokyo in 1968, Kenji Aoki spent his formative years studying various design disciplines at Kuwasa Design School. While studying many comprehensive approaches to design, it was not the sculptures of Rodin in museums, nor the view from the top of Everest that inspired Aoki as an artist. It was in fact photography and its ability to capture beauty in "a normal coffee cup at home" that changed Aoki's world. Because the subject was so ordinary, he needed to change his perspective 180 degrees in order to portray such objects beautifully. He became fascinated with this and it was then that he finally felt he had found his voice as an artist. Since then he has pursued the art of still life photography.

After a long and successful career in Tokyo, Aoki moved to NY permanently in 2010. He has worked with many clients in the U.S. and Europe and was included in a comprehensive archive of more than 30 years of the finest commissioned images published in The New York Times Magazine. He was also awarded from SPD, The Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, American Photography, The New York Times Magazine, and Lurzer's Archive. Today, Kenji Aoki continues to produce compelling visual images.