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Ben Kikuyama was born in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii in 1962 and spent hours doodling and painting as a child. His talent emerged early in grade school in the form of cartoons and home made comic books, emulating the styles of Mad Magazine and super hero comic books. He continued working, eventually developing an affinity towards classical figure study. He was recognized in high school where he was awarded an art scholarship and studied at Chapman College in Anaheim, California.
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The appeal of Ben Kikuyama’s paintings stems from their ability to engage the viewer’s imagination. Painted realistically, often with traditional old-master techniques, his works have the quality of elegant mysteries. Analogies appear often: Trees growing out of a man’s head that bespeak of wisdom; An archer coming out from a man’s chest, representing the first sign of desire; A large sprouted seed in the belly of a horse, signifying new life. His works suggest that there is something going on, something more than meets the eye. They have stories to tell, but it is left to the viewer to write them.
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Ben likes to test and push the boundaries in other mediums. His found-object and multimedia sculptures focus on the most majestic and graceful of all creatures, the horse. Kikuyama’s approach to this subject reflects his insatiable fascination to surprise and engage the viewer. In his hands, the horse becomes more than just a beautiful and elegant beast, but a kind of vessel or vehicle for his fertile imagination to play with. Themes of birth, death, childhood memories, and various Greek myths permeate throughout.
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Ben’s work is in the collection of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. He represented Maui in the 2001 Biennial Exhibition of Hawaii Artists at the Contemporary Museum in Oahu and was also featured on a Hawaii Public Television segment of Spectrum. He has shown in numerous invitational, juried, and solo exhibitions and is in private and public collections around the world.
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