Misaki Kawai

b. 1978, Ōkawa, Kagawa, Japan. Misaki Kawai is a New York-based artist who makes vibrant paintings, sculptures, and papier-mâché works in an appealing faux-naïf style that embraces the honest imagery of childhood. She developed her take on heta-uma, an illustrative style rooted in manga that roughly translates from Japanese to mean “bad but good.” Kawai’s pieces often center on goofy characters, from amorphous cherries to friendly felines, and incorporate multimedia elements like fluffy pompoms. (Courtesy of Artsy).