GOCA by Garde is pleased to announce Grids of Perception, Aya Kawato's debut solo exhibition in the US. The exhibition showcases new paintings that explore the relationship between control and imperfection through abstract grids that merge traditional Japanese textile techniques with concepts from contemporary neuroscience. By navigating the boundaries between visual art, craft, and science, Kawato invites us to reconsider both the instability and the richness inherent in the act of seeing.
Kawato’s recent series of work is inspired by Tsuzure-ori (綴織), a traditional Japanese tapestry weaving technique. Similar to the weaving practice, which involves meticulous hand-dyeing and weaving techniques, Kawato creates intricate grid shapes using layer after layer of acrylic paint. She celebrates the subtle irregularities inherent in her process, finding beauty in the imperfections of her work. “I’m interested in beauty born from deviation, the moment when perception and the hand escape perfect control,” Kawato explains. The cumulative outcome of this repetitive manual and mental process results in “irregularities that possess a beauty transcendent of human control.”
Kawato’s fascination with optical illusions originates from her father, a neuroscientist. He taught her that vision is not merely about what the eyes perceive, but how the brain interprets information. Kawato’s work challenges the viewer's perception, demonstrating that our brains process a limited version of reality. By endowing her grids with subtle optical illusions, she aims to share with the viewer the sense that “none of us can fully comprehend the world as we see it.”
About Aya Kawato
Aya Kawato (b. 1988, Nara, Japan) is a contemporary artist based in Kyoto. She holds a Ph.D in Intermedia Art from Tokyo University of the Arts. Kawato’s practice focuses on abstract grid paintings grounded in traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving and contemporary neuroscience to explore themes of control, imperfection, and perception. Currently, she serves as the Design Director for a major tapestry installation, featured in the State Guest House of the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, designed by architect Sou Fujimoto; in collaboration with the esteemed Kyoto-based textile house Kawashima Selkon, she reinterprets centuries of Japanese weaving traditions onto the canvas. Kawato has participated in numerous group exhibitions and has recently had solo exhibitions at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery and Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, as well as in Paris and Geneva. Her work is held in major collections internationally, including CHANEL G.K. and Tokyo University of the Arts, and has been commissioned by Longchamp Wien, Meta Open Arts Commission / Facebook, and LONGCHAMP / La Maison Ginza.
