Eugene Kangawa (born 1989, USA) is known for abstract painting and installations centered on themes of human existence, time, and history.

His exhibitions and projects include EUGENE STUDIO The New Sea/After the Rainbow (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2021–22); de-sport: (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2020); 1/2 century later. (Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, 2017); and 89+ (Serpentine Galleries, London, 2014), among others.

With the international reach of his solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, a permanent museum devoted solely to the work of Eugene Kangawa—initiated by collectors across Asia and ASEAN and operated by a local organization—is now under construction near a UNESCO World Heritage site in Bali. (The Emmerald, situated on a one-hectare site, is scheduled to open in 2026.)

His short art film has also been selected for—and received awards at—several international film festivals, including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival, and the Pan African Film Festival.

He currently works near Tokyo at Atelier iii—a lush studio designed and DIY-built by the artist and his team—together with a diverse, cross-disciplinary staff.

Eugene Kangawa’s studio, Atelier iii, near Tokyo, is run with a diverse team of specialists. The lush, green space—designed and DIY-built by Kangawa and his team—is, in his words, one of his most important places.
It offers settings from bright, naturally lit areas to darker, enclosed spaces. Covering about 700 m² (7,500 sq ft), it houses works in progress, collection pieces, and occasionally new series.
Roughly an hour’s drive from central Tokyo, Atelier iii occasionally opens to the public when the artist is away. (Address undisclosed; see link or Instagram for reservations.)

Excerpt — The New York Times International Weekly Edition (print) / The Japan Times weekly edition (print), 2025

“… At Atelier iii (*Eugene’s Atelier), visitors encounter a spacious, meticulously curated mini museum showcasing several of the 35-year-old artist’s paintings, installations and sculptures. Beyond the public eye, workshop areas are tucked away behind walls, where his ongoing creative process quietly unfolds.”

Excerpt — A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE

“During this year’s fourth edition of Art Basel Paris, A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE will present a special exhibition in collaboration with Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO. The spatial design will be directed by architect Tsuyoshi Tane.”

The exhibition introduces TYPE-XIV Eugene Studio project, the latest initiative inspired by Kangawa’s acclaimed series Light and shadow inside me.
This series comprises two types: greenish-blue works made by folding a single sheet of coated watercolor paper into a polyhedral form, exposing it to sunlight, then unfolding it; and black-and-white photograms made in the same way on silver-gelatin photographic paper, exposed to a single light source. In the artist’s large, self-built darkroom, single sheets of photographic paper are hand-scored with straight fold lines—for example, up to 3m long—and folded into 48-sided forms before exposure. Using this method—capturing “only the light and shadow inherent to the object itself”—the gradations of light and shadow are fixed onto the paper…

Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture.

Excerpt — The New York Times International Weekly Edition (print) / The Japan Times weekly edition (print), 2025

“… With ‘After the Rainbow,’ his 2021 solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Kangawa reached a new milestone. At 32, he was the youngest artist ever to hold a solo exhibition at the museum. Exploring the possibilities of coexistence—between humanity and nature, the tangible and the imagined—the exhibition established Kangawa as a voice of piercing lucidity in a fragmented era.”

With the support, invitation, and initiative of collectors with ties to Asia and Indonesia, the solo exhibition The New Sea / After the Rainbow, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2021–22, has developed into a permanent museum dedicated to the works of Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO. The museum is being built at the foot of a World Heritage site in Bali by a local operating body and a public-interest foundation.

In this lush green space, various activities are also taking place, including collaborations with nearby educational institutions, and part of the facility’s revenue is planned to be returned to environmental conservation and educational support. The Studio expresses its deep gratitude to all those who proposed and pursued the concrete plan, previously unimaginable to the Studio, for these works to be passed on as a permanent collection for future generations. The Studio also sincerely hopes that this space will contribute to the local community.

The main building of Emme, with a total floor area of approximately 5,000 m² on a site of about one hectare, is scheduled to open to the public in 2026.