Japanese photo-artist Kunie Sugiura’s first U.S. survey exhibition is on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) now through September.
Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting showcases the artist’s unique exploration of photography and painting, which reflects her bicultural identity as a Japanese artist who has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s. Born in Nagoya, Japan, Sugiura has exhibited at independent galleries and major museums for over five decades after graduating from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1969.
While her preferred medium is photography, the artwork displayed in Sugiura’s first U.S. exhibition features pieces captured by cameras and painted by hand, drawing inspiration from contemporary painting and sculpture to showcase the photographic process in an unexpected way. Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting includes over 60 works in photography, painting and installation that span from the 1960s to as recently as 2021.
“Throughout her career, Kunié Sugiura has subverted traditional notions of photography, bravely bucking trends to produce a distinctive body of work that is unmistakably her own,” said Erin O’Toole, SFMOMA’s curator and head of photography.
Christopher Bedford, Director at SFMOMA, said the museum is honored to open the first exhibition of her work in the U.S. and to engage residents with her unique medium.
“Sugiura’s many experiments and explorations with the photographic medium upend our notions of what photography can be,” Bedford said.
Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting is organized by SFMOMA and curated by O’Toole with Delphine Sims, assistant curator of photography. The exhibition will be on view through September 14, 2025.
Visit www.sfmoma.org or call 415-357-4000 for more information.