Kenzi Shiokava: From Marlon Brando's Gardener to L.A. Biennial Star

Kenzi Shiokava, a 78-year-old Brazilian-born gardener who worked for celebrities like Marlon Brando, has become an unexpected star of the Hammer Museum's Made in L.A. 2016 biennial. Despite being invited over a month after the biennial opened, Shiokava's story has captivated media worldwide. Curators Hamza Walker and Aram Moshayedi discovered him after he invited them to his studio, where he showed his totemic wood sculptures, assemblages of found objects, toys, plastic fruits, and old religious items. Shiokava had never heard of Made in L.A. and described himself as "always outside the art system." His inclusion led to a media frenzy: a public radio feature, an interview with a major Brazilian newspaper, and a W Magazine profile calling him one of the show's stars. Collectors have since flocked to his studio on West El Segundo Boulevard, seeking his sculptures, collages, assemblages, and environmental installations. Shiokava's primary job as a gardener provided materials like old telephone poles, logs, and pruned tree branches for his art.