Akiko Kotani’s art embodies the surprising power and attraction of simplicity.

Imagination and a sense of play infuse her work, ranging from miniatures to the striking “Soft Walls” many viewers remember from the recent Skyway Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art in St. Petersburg. Her work contains a depth of feeling within an economy of means.

Kotani’s work is in private, corporate and museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’re grateful that after a teaching career up North, Pittsburgh’s Artist of the Year is now living and creating art in Gulfport.

Enjoy this joyful conversation where Akiko explains the surprising inspiration behind “Soft Walls,” the beauty of creating landscapes from memory, and how and why traditional women’s work is part of her very non-traditional creations.

Find out more about Akiko Kotani here.

 

 

 

 

 

Arts In is produced by Sheila Cowley.

Executive Producer, Barbara St. Clair for Creative Pinellas.