Acclaimed artist Kendra Ahimsa is capping off a world tour with a trip to the Big Apple, bringing anime-infused art, luscious pops of color, and illustrated spectacle to Maison Mono (150 Bayard St.) September 27 to November 17. For anyone interested in how various cultural references collide in one piece, laced with a sugar-sweet saturation, or if you want an art-viewing experience that is both trippy but soothing, the new exhibition Coastalvision is the exhibit for you.
Greenpointers: Hi Kendra! Welcome to the NY portion of your tour. How have you enjoyed your time in Jakarta and Tokyo?
Kendra Ahimsa: Hi! Thank you so much for having me. It feels like I have known NYC my whole life, you know, seeing it on screen in all those films and shows, reading about it in books, listening to bands that originated from there—to a point where I kind of have this romanticized version of New York in my memory. So it’s very surreal to actually be here exhibiting my work! I had an amazing time at the Coastalvision exhibition in Tokyo. There’s no other place like Japan, really. Many people came to the exhibition and the best part is that I got to meet and chat with them, listening to their stories. So much fun.
I was born and raised in Jakarta, so everything here is just as familiar and exciting as always.
Your pieces are so vibrant and eye-catching. What has led you to gravitate toward this visual style?
I owe everything to my influences. Growing up watching a lot of cartoons and anime, being fascinated over record jackets and retro ephemera—heavily-saturated colors are just something I have always loved. I remember when I was 18 or 19, I was pretty obsessed with psychedelic rock posters. All the colors clashing with each other, texts that sometimes need extensive deciphering, it was like total creative freedom without any rules. I thought to myself, “How cool would it be to be the person who makes those?” So I gathered all the things that I love and began to develop my own visual style.
Your website notes you draw on cross-cultural references, which also feels like it elicits a greater sense of play in your work. Are the pieces as fun to make as they are to behold? Or is the rigor that goes into them a more daunting form of labor?
Before I draw anything I always do intense research on ideas I want to incorporate into the piece. I love trivial stuff, so this part of the process is like a vacation for me. I get to “travel” and learn new things that are not just for the piece I’m working on, but also get to enrich my general knowledge. I never think of it as a form of labour, it’s pure bliss.
You got to design some materials for Cannes Film Festival this year through Mubi. How did that come about, and how did you approach it?
A couple of years ago, I worked with the art director for his personal project called NANG Magazine. It’s an annual magazine that focuses on worldwide cinema. Fast forward to the end of 2023, we reconnected and he told me that he now works at Mubi and has a special Mubi Notebook project for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. His only brief was that the piece should be an ode to film and the joys of filmmaking.
What are you hoping to get out of your experience on the NYC stop on your tour?
I always try to live in the present. Both the curatorial team and I have done our best to prepare everything, so I shall just see how everything turns out. But if there’s one thing I can hope for, it’s the same as in every other city I’ve visited, which is for people to swing by and check out the exhibition so I can meet and connect with them. I can’t wait to try the food and watch some gigs though!
Are you working on anything next or is there anything else you want to add?
Thank you for your time! I’m currently working on album graphics for this Indonesian group called Diskoria, titled “Intonesia.” It’s supposed to be released in April of next year. The band and their debut album celebrates Indonesia’s lost disco era from the 1970s-1980s with modern touches. I have a feeling it will be an important album to Indonesia’s music scene. Anytime!
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