Claudia Kogachi

b. 1995, Japan
Lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Claudia Kogachi is an emerging contemporary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation. Born in Awaji Shima, Japan in 1995, she graduated from The University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours in 2018. In 2019 Kogachi won the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award for her painting Mom Wait Up (2019) and in 2022 she was the new artist in residence at Karekare House on Auckland’s West Coast.  She has her work in numerous collections, including The Dowse Art Museum and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū, and she is represented by Phillida Reid Gallery in London and Jhana Millers in Poneke, Wellington.

Her practice is marked by a fusion of materials and abstract forms that evoke personal stories while engaging with broader cultural and social themes. Through her art, Kogachi explores her own unique narratives in a poignant way, often incorporating those close to her to create intimate yet universally resonant works. These narratives are brought to life with a sense of light-heartedness, which she describes as a central tenet of her creative approach.