profile
Ryo Kajitani is a maker and art model based in Tokyo.
He is asexual and a survivor of violence; these experiences inform his artwork.
Kajitani majored in oil-based woodblock printmaking at Tama Art University from 2010 to 2014. Drawn at the time to digital illustration that exploits layered compositions, he chose woodblock printmaking—which demands physical overprinting and the constraints of carving—to revisit and deepen his perspective on digital production in a recursive way.
As a doctoral candidate in studio practice, he studied under the late Kunio Motoe, an art historian (1948 –2019), and Yutaka Nakamura, a cultural anthropologist. His research tentatively explored how the narrowly ontological aesthetics distilled from Martin Heidegger’s The Origin of the Work of Art could be applied and implemented by makers within exhibition spaces.
After completing his studies, Kajitani has worked as an art model and full-time graphic designer. Since 2021, he has been experimenting with photo collages, integrating basic, code-based image-processing techniques—such as Python—into his practice.
His recent achievements include an exhibition at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie (USA, 2023), the Montage Award at the Meta Morph AI Award (UK), and a finalist award for the Asia Digital Art Award FUKUOKA (2024).
Education
2016-2019
Graduated from Doctoral Degree Course, Graduate School of Tama Art University (Ph.D.in Arts)
Completed doctoral course at Tama Art University Graduate School of Fine Arts
Doctoral dissertation (No. 75) "The fate of artistic activities in exhibition spaces: Based on Heidegger's ontological aesthetics based on 'The Origin of the Work of Art'"
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Solo Exhibition: 1st Galerie Shimon University Selection Project Vol. 2 Tama Art University Graduate School (Supported by Galerie Shimon and Tama Art University Alumni Association)
August 21st (Monday) - August 26th (Saturday)
2019
7th FEI PRINT AWARD Runner-up Exhibition "Rei Kajitani - Watching, Presenting -"
September 17-27
(Supported by Fei Art Gallery and the Japan Artists Association)
Group Exhibition
2014-2020 (omitted)
2014 Graduate School of Fine Arts - Print Research - Master's Course First Year Students Exhibition "iki" (INOAC Ginza Namiki-dori Gallery) 82nd Japan Print Association Print Exhibition (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum) 5th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition (Galerie Shimon) 2015 Graduate School Classmates Two-Person Exhibition (Galleria Grafica bis/Graduate School Study Support Program Research Presentation Activity Subsidy) "WALK THE LINE: Artists in their 20s Who Live by Lines" Exhibition (Galerie Shimon/Art Gallery Organized) Small Works 2015 Group Exhibition (Galleria Grafica bis/Art Gallery Organized) 83rd Japan Print Association Print Exhibition Lipton 125th Anniversary TEA WAY ART COLLECTION (Meiji Jingu Gaien, in front of the Shotoku Memorial Art Gallery) VOL.4 U35・500 ARTISTS JAPAN EXHIBITION (Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1) 2016 Tokyo Five Art Universities Union Graduation and Completion Exhibition (National Art Center, Tokyo) 25th All Japan Art Salon Painting Grand Prize Exhibition (National Art Center, Tokyo, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts) Line/break Print Research Master's Program Completion Exhibition (Promo Arte Project Gallery) 93rd Shunyo Exhibition (National Art Center, Tokyo) 6th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition 84th Japan Print Association Print Exhibition 1st Tsurugaoka Art Collection (coccinelle/Osaka) 41st University Print Exhibition (Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts/Tokyo) 19th Tama Art University Alumni Association Small Works Exhibition 2016 (Bunbodo/Jinbocho) 2017 TOKYO International Mini Print Triennial in SAPPORO - Triennale 2015 Traveling Exhibition (Planis Hall, Esta 11th floor/Sapporo) ArtBridge FAIR Vol.1 (PROMO-ARTE Latin American Art Gallery) 26th All Japan Art Salon Painting Grand Prize Exhibition 19th Art Fes Open Exhibition, co-hosted with Bessho Koshun Festival (Miki City Horimitsu Museum of Art/Hyogo Prefecture) 94th Shunyo Exhibition 2nd Tsurugaoka Art Collection (Bonheur Kitchen Nagai Park) 1st Midnight Art Exhibition (Kurukuru Global Hub/Shibuya) Records: 6/23-24 Views on contemporary Japanese Printmaking - Cyprus 2017 (Hambis Printmaking Musiem/Cyprus) Small Works 2017 (Galleria Grafica bis) MONSTER Exhibition 2017 (Shibuya Hikarie 8/ COURT/Shibuya/Graduate School Study Incentive Program Research Presentation Activity Incentive) Records; July 14-18, 2017 11:00-20:00 MONSTER Exhibition 2017 in NY (hpgrp GALLERY/New York/Graduate School Study Incentive Program Research Presentation Activity Incentive) Records; September 2017 85th Anniversary Japan Print Association Print Exhibition Records; 30th-October 6th SHIBUYA AWARDS 2017 in 9th Shibuya Art Festival (Shibuya Awards Special Venue, inside the concourse of Tokyu Tokyo Metro Shibuya Station, Exit 13) Records; November 3rd-5th, 2017 Open Nagaya Osaka 2017 Co-hosted event "Miscellaneous Goods, Exhibitions, and Old Books" (Gallery Tsumugi/Osaka) Challenge Art in Japan 2017 #TAMABI_HAKASE Exhibition (Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Japan Korean Cultural Center) 20th Tama Art University Alumni Association Small Works Exhibition 2017 Records; December 3rd (Sat) - December 9th (Sun) 2018 Kawauso New Artist Award Exhibition 2018 (Ginza Kawauso Gallery/Tokyo) Records; February 24th - March 2nd FACE Exhibition 2018 Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Art Award Exhibition (Togo Seiji Memorial Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art/Tokyo) Records; February 24th (Sat) - March 30th (Fri) 18 CROSS OVER Vol.4 PEDDY POT and Kajitani Rei Duo Exhibition (Mirage Garelly Cafe/Cambodia) Cross Over Vol.5 (New Treasure Art Gallery/Yangon, Myanmar) 95th Shunyo Exhibition Cross Over Vol.6 (Instinc Singapore Art Gallery/Singapore) Ginza Summer Festival -ART FES- (STAND GINZA/80/Tokyo) MONSTER EXHIBITION IN 2018 7th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition 7th FEI PRINT AWARD (FEI ART MUSEUM YOKOHAMA/Yokohama) "WALK THE LINE Part 4 Artists who live in lines" Exhibition Records; September 17th to September 22nd 6th Tokyo International Mini Print Triennale 2018 (Tama Art University Museum/Tokyo) Records; October 27th (Sat) to December 2nd (Sun) 2018 21st Tama Art University Alumni Association Charity Exhibition 2018 (Mitsumura Graphic Gallery (MGG)/Tokyo) Records; December 10th (Mon) to December 16th (Sun) 2018 39th Taipei Sound and Art Exhibition (Sunworld Dynasty Hotel Hotel/Taipei) 2019 The 22nd Okamoto Taro Contemporary Art Award Exhibition (Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki/Kanagawa) Tama Art University Doctoral Program Exhibition 2019 (Tama Art University Museum/Tokyo) 2019 Spring Contemporary Art Salon Exhibition (Taipei Auction Center/Taipei) 2019 Taipei New Arts Fair (Taipei World Trade Center Hall 3/Taipei) SHIBUYA ART AWARDS 2019 (Shibuya Ward New Office Space 428/Tokyo) The 22nd Tama Art University Alumni Association Charity Exhibition 2019 (Mitsumura Graphic Gallery (MGG)/Tokyo) (International Conference) International Online Art Exhibition organised under AdvaitaUtsav - InternationalConference on AdvaitaVedanta (Sagar, Madhya Pradesh/India) Kyobashi East Christmas Festival (Kyobashi East Shopping Street/Osaka) 2020 2nd Bumpodo Award (Bumpodo Gallery/Tokyo) Virtual Exhibition "Stern Ward" (WorldWideWeb) About "crossing" (Gallery FACE TO FACE/Tokyo)
2021-present
2021 International Artists Grand Prize, Taiwan/Postponed 1st "#CWA Exhibition" Twitter Moment Exhibition Culture365 "Portraits" Exhibition, December 20th to January 20th (WorldWideWeb) Culture365 "Portraits" Exhibition, December 16th to December 18th (Pocket Star Gallery/Piraeus, Greece) QueerTech.io Midsumma And/Or Exhibition Call for Artists, (WorldWideWeb/Australia) 2022 International Artists Grand Prize - Selection Exhibition (De Art Museum/Taiwan) Chronically Online Inaugural Show (Curated by Ash Hagerstrand), (Web/USA) Single image photographer for the official program of Rotterdam Photo Festival 2022 XL, (Postponed) Netherlands) Market of Love and Madness (Laforet Harajuku/Tokyo) Queer Perspectives: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ life (Curated by Upstream Gallery/USA) Artists Village at #NFTNYC2023 (USA) 2024 AI AI AI International Group Invitational (Curated by Radian Gallery) (San Francisco, USA) NEXT: Reimagining the Future Through Art. (Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie) (Trenton, USA) Asia Digital Art Grand Prize Exhibition FUKUOKA (Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan)
Awards, grants, magazines, etc.
2014-2020 (omitted)
2014 82nd Japan Print Association Print Exhibition, A Division, Selected (first time) 5th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition, Selected (first time) 2015 83rd Japan Print Association Print Exhibition, A Division, Selected VOL.4 U35・500ARTISTS JAPAN EXHIBITION, Selected (first time) 25th All Japan Art Salon Painting Grand Prize Exhibition, Selected and Awarded Excellence (first time) 2016 93rd Shunyo Exhibition, Print Section, Selected (first time) 6th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition, Selected 84th Japan Print Association Print Exhibition, A Division, Selected ArtBridge FAIR vol.1, Selected and Jury Award (Kumada Yasuaki) (recommended by Mr.) (first appearance) 19th Tama Art University Alumni Association Small Works Exhibition 2016, Challenge Award winner (first appearance) 26th All Japan Art Salon Painting Grand Prize Exhibition, Selected 2017 Selected for Ιαπωνικό Αφιέρωμα – Όψεις της Σύγχρονης Ιαπωνικής Χαρακτικής – Κύπρος 2017 (Views on contemporary Japanese Printmaking - Cyprus 2017) Selected for the 19th Art Fes Open Exhibition, co-hosted by Bessho Koshun Festival (first appearance) Selected for the 94th Shunyo Exhibition, Printmaking Section Semi-selected for Ikebukuro Art Gathering IAG AWARDS 2017 (first appearance) MONSTER EXHIBITION IN 2017 Selected (first appearance) (Journal) Tama Art Research, Issue 6, Selected 10th Kochi International Print Triennale Exhibition Selected (first appearance) 2017 Tama Art University Alumni Association Scholarship Student Selected (first appearance) 85th Anniversary Japan Print Association Print Exhibition, A Category Selected SHIBUYA AWARDS 2017 in 9th Shibuya Art Festival Selected (first appearance) 25th Moriya Educational Foundation Scholarship Award Winner (first appearance) FACE2018 Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Art Award Selected (first appearance) 2018 Kawauso Newcomer Award Selected (record; first appearance) 95th Shunyo Exhibition, Print Section Selected MONSTER EXHIBITION IN 2018 Selected Works Record: July 21st (Sat) - July 25th (Wed) 7th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition Selected Works Record: August 20th (Mon) - September 1st (Sat) (Journal) Tama Art Research, Issue 7, Selected 6th Tokyo International Mini Print Triennale 2018, Museum Prize Winner (First appearance) 7th FEI PRINT AWARD, General Category, Second Prize Winner (First appearance): September 4th (Tue) - 16th (Sun) (Art Magazine) Average Art Magazine 28, November 2018, UK, Open Entries Accepted (Art Magazine) Wotisart Magazine #20, November 2018, UK, Open Entries Accepted 22nd Okamoto Taro Contemporary Art Award, Selected (First appearance) Japan Artists Association Support Program for Artists 2019, selected (record; first appearance) Gion Foundation for Arts and Sports Promotion, second term scholarship, selected (record; first appearance) International Artists Grand Prize, Taiwan, selected as finalist (record; first appearance) 2019 (Art magazine) Peripheral ARTeries, Biennial Edition 2019, UK, open/special feature, selected Spring Contemporary Salon Exhibition, Taiwan, selected (Paper magazine) Tama Art Research, Issue 8, selected SHIBUYA ART AWARDS 2019, selected ASIAGRAPH 2019 in Tokyo, semi-selected (Art magazine) Al-Tiba9 Magazine issue#3, December 2019, Spain, open selection (Buddhist painting/international conference) International Online Art Exhibition organised under AdvaitaUtsav - InternationalConference on AdvaitaVedanta, India, Open Call 2020 (Art magazine) Florence Contemporary Gallery International competition Catalog March 2020, Italy, Open Call Social Art Award Book Top 50 artists, Federal Republic of Germany Selected for the 2nd Bumpodo Award Blue Bee Art Gallery bluebee magazine - Spring 2020, UK, Open Call Awesome Art Prize contest Spring Edition 2020, Lifetime Achievement Award, Paris, Copenhagen Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund, WorldWideWeb, Open Call (Journal) Tama Art Research, Issue 9, Open Call (Research Notes) [FOLK FOLK Original Project] Creators Workation, Open Call, Ise City, Mie Prefecture Selected for the 9th "What is Drawing?" Exhibition
2021－2025
2021 International Artists Grand Prize, Taiwan Finalist Selection 1st "#CWA Exhibition" Twitter Moment Exhibition Record: June 13th (Sun) - June 20th (Sun) 2021 (Journal/Research Notes) Tama Art Studies, Issue 10, Accepted (Art Magazine) Florence Contemporary Gallery "LIMITLESS" Accepted, Italy Culture365 & pocketstargallery Open call "Portraits" Accepted, Greece Single image photographer for the official program of Rotterdam Photo Festival 2022 XL Accepted, Netherlands QueerTech.io Midsumma And/Or Exhibition Call for Artists Accepted, Australia 2022 Chronically Online Inaugural Show (Curated by Ash Hagerstrand) Accepted, USA (Journal/Production Notes) Tama Art Studies, 2021 Accepted 1st XANALIA NFT ART AWARDS 2021 Winner International Artists Grand Prize - Selected Exhibition 2022 NFT World MasterAward Finalist Queer Perspectives: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ life (Curated by Upstream Gallery NY) Selected, USA (Queer anthology) Beyond Queer Words - Queer Anthology (4th edition; Feb. 2023) Selected, Germany Artists Village at #NFTNYC2023 Selected, USA 2023 (Journal of Gender and Sexuality) New Plains Review - Art - for Central Dissent 2022 (Published by University of Central Oklahoma) Selected, USA Fast Flesh Literary Journal Issue 5 (Curated by Jack Maes, Danielle Zaccagnino, Sam Scott) Accepted, USA Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment (Curated by Iowa State University, MFA Program Creative Writing and Environment) Accepted, USA The Howler Project (by a Research & Creative Activity grant from the University of Nebraska Omaha) Accepted, USA Art & Human Rights Exhibition (Curated by Emergent Art Space, based in San Francisco, California) Accepted, USA Porter House Review (Curated by Texas State University’s MFA program in Creative Writing) Accepted, USA Barzakh Magazine Summer 2023 Visual Art (Curated by University at Albany) Accepted, USA The Closed Eye Open (Edited by Aaron Lelito) Accepted, USA (Journal/Production Notes) Tama Art Studies, 2022 Accepted ARTISTS RESPONDING TO... QUARTERLY MAGAZINE - Contemporary art, culture and activism Accepted, UK NEXT: Reimagining the Future Through Art by Trenton City Museum, USA Noir" - Artist book by SU4IP, USA (Art Magazines) StreetLit, USA #NFTNYC2024, USA 2024 Delio Enterprises Gabby & Min's Literary Review (2024 Winter Issue), USA NEXT: Reimagining the Future Through Art. (Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie), USA AI AI AI International Group Invitational (Curated by Radian Gallery), USA Meta Morph AI Award Montage Award, UK Asia Digital Art Grand Prize FUKUOKA (Fukuoka Art Museum), Finalists' Awards, Japan 2025 Novus Literary Arts Journal (Spring 2025 Digital Edition, Cumberland University in Lebanon), Accepted, USA Red Ogre Review (April 2025 Magazine Issue) Accepted, UK NFT NYC 2025 （London, NY）Accepted Text Power Telling Issue IX Adopted, USA