Biography
Jumpei Kinoshita was born in Kanagawa and studied sociology at university in Japan. In 2002, he moved to the UK to continue and deepen his studies. However, his artistic direction changed radically after his graduation in 2005. Painting has been his passion since childhood. When he was accepted to the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL in 2007, these achievements developed and focused that passion. He finished his MFA in Fine Art there in 2013.
Jumpei is particularly interested in abstract art, Op art and Japanese woodblock prints - Ukiyo-e. Especially fascinating - in terms of his own aesthetic - is the Ukiyo-e artists' illustrative techniques and the beautifully soft, light quality of Japanese paper, Washi. Because of this, he often uses Washi as the foundation of his aesthetic.
The development of Jumpei’s work comes from the discoveries he makes and the ways elements work together according to a playful yet thoughtful approach. He transforms paper by cutting and stretching, dipping and painting, attaching and pasting, peeling and revealing, hanging and drying. This art focuses on the energy and beauty of colour and composition while, at the same time, including the effervescent qualities of a traditional Shoji screen. Finally, Jumpei is attracted to the harmony of circles: these exist in spaces of poetic alignments and arrangements, creating complex levels of optical illusion.
