Hsiao-Chi Tsai & Kimiya Yoshikawa

Combining their expertise of textiles and sculpture backgrounds, London-based artists Tsai and Yoshikawa are choreographers of culture, colour, material and expression. They work collaboratively on distinctive art installations and sculptural interventions, exploring classical notions of colour, material, shape and form that are derived from nature. From glass and metal to neoprene, Jesmonite, fibreglass, Perspex, fiberglass, UV pigments and blacklight, each material is subjected to new techniques.  

Tsai & Yoshikawa’s inspiration for shapes and forms for works of art, ranges from feathers and flowers to sea anemone and jellyfish; and from microscopic details to the giant swirls of galaxies. The celebration of natural organic forms is characteristic of their work.  

Through the use of vivid colours, unexpected materials, complex shapes, explosive forms and their innovative use of light and darkness, their works bring in vitality and zest in the actual space. They manipulate the characteristic of 2D materials and combine with the hand-formed cut-outs to turn rigid materials into a supple state. 

The duo has undertaken numerous commissions, projects and exhibitions internationally, debuting in 2007 with a spectacular sequence of seven large-scale window displays for the Harvey Nichols’ flagship store in London. Most prominently, The Lion, a permanent sculpture unveiled in 2009 in London’s Chinatown, was recognised as the prestigious Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture in 2009 in the UK.  

At Future Heritage

Tsai and Yoshikawa created a new silver piece series – Shape of The Air Series. It is a set of wall pieces that combine aluminium with the LED lights. They also featured works from their original Pop Blooms and Stars Series. In addition, they created a giant lens vase, which was inspired by the flamboyant giant vase that was once a living room ornament in ancient China. They used glass lenses to recreate the shape of an ancient vase, filled with reflective stainless-steel balls to create an object of illusion, elegance and exuberance. 

Current work

The duo’s recent public and commercial projects include: 

2019 JING AN KERRY CENTRE ‘Love Together’ solo exhibition, Shanghai, China  

2019 MIDLAND SQUARE ‘White Fantasia’, Christmas art installations, commissioned by Midland Square, Nagoya, Japan  

2019 NUIT BLANCHE TAIPEI 2019 ‘The Glamour of Albizia’, outdoor sculpture, Taipei, Taiwan  

2019 BUSAN BIENNALE Sea Art Festival ‘Nebulous Bouquet – Couplet’, outdoor public art, Dadaepo Beach, Busan, South Korea  

2019 YUEJIN LANTERN FESTIVAL ‘Hua’, Tainan City, Taiwan  

2017 ST. THOMAS’ HOSPITAL ‘Aquatic Flora I & II’, two of 9-storey high permanent sculptures for new East Wing atriums, commissioned by Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS