MCA Chicago Presents First Solo Museum Exhibition of Kenzi Shiokava

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is presenting the inaugural solo museum exhibition of Kenzi Shiokava, who passed away in Los Angeles in 2021 just shy of his 83rd birthday. Originally from Brazil, Shiokava was the son of Japanese immigrant shopkeepers and relocated to Los Angeles at 25 to join his sister. He earned a BFA from the Chouinard Art Institute and an MFA from Otis, eventually setting up a studio near Watts, where he integrated into a Black assemblage art community at the Watts Towers Arts Center, showcasing his work there multiple times, including a solo exhibition in 1994. Supporting himself as a gardener, he worked for Marlon Brando for two decades and later resided in a Compton warehouse filled with salvaged materials. Although he never married, he had a passion for dance. His participation in the Hammer Museum's Made in L.A. biennial in 2016 sparked a resurgence of recognition, leading to international media coverage and exhibition offers. The MCA exhibition features wall constructions made of dried leaves, old photographs, glitter, and found objects; a shelf displaying metal and wood boxes with toy figures and plant materials; personal photographs and gallery memorabilia; a diverse collection of traditional wood carving tools; and an eight-minute video from 2017 showing Shiokava carving a tree trunk in his studio. This exhibition signifies his first solo museum showcase and continues to honor his dedicated career within the Southern California art scene.