Leiko Ikemura Born in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan

Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Leiko Ikemura’s multidisciplinary practice, spanning painting, sculpture, and drawing, is celebrated for its unique synthesis of Western and Eastern aesthetic traditions. Often characterized by a profound sense of lyricism, her work explores themes of femininity, nature, and the liminal space between human and animal forms. Through her evocative use of color and organic shapes, Ikemura creates a dreamlike universe that invites contemplation on the transience of life and the interconnectedness of all living beings. The intimate metamorphosis of a lifelong painting process manifests itself in landscapes in which human figures and nature merge, amorphous forms and hybrid mythical creatures in continuous transformation. Her transition between mediums from ethereal canvases to tactile terracotta and bronze sculptures reflects a continuous investigation into the boundaries of materiality and the spiritual essence of form.

Leiko Ikemura’s works have been presented in solo and group exhibitions worldwide since the early 1980s. Significant solo exhibitions have been presented at the following institutions: Albertina Museum, Vienna (2026); Bündner Kunstmuseum, Chur (2025); Kunsthalle Emden (2024); Heredium Museum, Daejeon (2024); Museo de Arte Zapopan, Guadalajara (2023); Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin (2023); Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (2022); CAC La Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia (2022); "Usagi in Wonderland" at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich (2021); Centro de Arte Caja Burgos (2021); Kunsthalle Rostock (2020); St. Matthäuskirche, Berlin (2020); Kunstmuseum Basel (2019); Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Skärhamn (2019); The National Art Center, Tokyo (2019); Deutsches Keramikmuseum Hetjens, Dusseldorf (2017); Nevada Museum of Art, Reno (2016); Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne (2015); The Vangi Sculpture Garden Museum, Mishima (2014); Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe (2013); Asian Art Museum, Berlin (2012) and The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (2011).

Most recently, Ikemura has participated in group exhibitions at 36th Biennale of São Paulo (2025); “Power Plants: Intoxicants, Stimulants and Narcotics”, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich (2024); Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden (2023); Villa Jacobs Skulpturenpark und Maschinenhaus, Potsdam (2023); The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (2022-23); 9th Beijing Biennale, National Art Museum of China (2022); Singer Laren Museum, Netherlands (2022); The National Art Center, Tokyo (2022); Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne (2022); AMMA Foundation, Mexico City (2022); Shandong Art Museum, Jinan (2022); Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau (2022); Kunstmuseum Basel (2022); Hekinan City Tatsukichi Fujii Museum of Contemporary Art (2021); Hilti Art Foundation im Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz (2021-22); The Centre Pompidou, Paris (2021); ARTZUID 2021, Amsterdam Sculptuur Biënnale (2021); Shiga Museum of Art, Otsu (2021); Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne (2021); Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi (2021); Museum Folkwang, Essen (2021); National Museum of Ceramics, Leeuwarden (2020-21); Oita Prefectural Art Museum (2020); Blickachsen 12, Sculpture Biennale, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe (2019); and Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem (2019), among others.