Artist Statement
My work expresses a process of trace and memory.
When I walk, I see traces of squirrels, birds, and other animals on snow-covered ground. Snow preserves the footprints of deer, rabbits, and other creatures in the forest. The animals are gone, but their traces indicate their existence—a memory of their presence. Some traces, such as footprints in snow, melt away; some memories, such as the warmth of a handshake or a smell, disappear. Other traces remain as fossils, or live on as memories in the mind.
I use traditional Japanese rice-paste-resist printing as a metaphor in my work. While working with the katazome technique and cut-paper stencils called katagami, I noticed the empty shapes left behind after forms are cut from the stencil paper. This negative space is a trace of what was there. It is evidence that creates a memory.
Most of my pieces use natural dyes and indigo. Flowers are ephemeral and live only a short time. I extract dyes from flowers, plants, and roots, including marigold, apple tree, osage, and madder, then use the solutions to dye silk fabric. The color remains on the fabric after the flowers are gone, creating a dual existence: the color on the fabric indicates memory.
More recently, I have dyed Japanese rice paper in an indigo vat, painted with natural dyes, and cut the paper to complete my works. This process seems to convey my thoughts directly, rather than using stencil paper for printing.
All of these processes contribute to an understanding grounded in my inner observations.
— Alan Kemi
Biography
Alan Kemi was born in Yokohama, Japan, and studied traditional Japanese dyeing techniques for ten years under master Haru Izumi. Kemi holds an MFA in Fiber Art from Cranbrook Academy of Art and has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as leading workshops at Haystack, Penland, Arrowmont, the International Surface Design Conference, and Zijdelings in the Netherlands.
Kemi’s national and international exhibitions include the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington, the University of Nebraska, and Gallery Uesuto in Japan. Kemi has been an artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch and the Ragdale Foundation, and was selected as a scholar-in-residence by the SEEDS Arts and Education Program in 2016.
Commissions include the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Loyola University Medical Center, and At Home Co. Ltd. Alan Kemi lives in Chicago, Illinois.
For a full CV, view the 2026 CV.
