Ken Smiths

Biography

I spent my childhood in Paris and Algiers. Paris, with colorful shops facing the Champs-Elysees and sparkling Parisian nights; and Algiers, with its landscape against the clear blue sky of the Mediterranean, stretching as far as the eye can see. I still remember these scenes vividly, which continue to influence the way in which I use color in my works. I love drawing pictures since I was young, and in the past few years I began creating works, and started posting them on Instagram. 

For the group exhibition “Christmas Festival Exhibition” in December 2018 (Yokohama, Japan), I used digital illustrations to express a warm world on the theme of Christmas. I also created works on the theme of bright and vibrant colors that make flowers and animals look cute with a gentle impression. Additionally, I participated in exhibitions such as “Sweet Pastel X Spice Vivid” in June 2019 (Busan, Korea), “2020 Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award” in November 2020 (Shanghai, China), and “Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition” in March 2021 (Bologna, Italy),Selected for the “2021 CICLA Original Illustration Exhibition” in November 2021 (Shanghai, China).

I often use animal motifs in my works, and depict worlds bathed in the warmth of sunlight.

The motifs could be acorn-eating bears living in the woods, berry-eating birds, colorfully blossoming flowers and plants etc. The world depicted is one that has been taken for granted, but might not be so in the future. Due to damages to their living environments, food may become scarce, woods become unlivable, and the animals and plants might disappear one by one. Therefore I always try to place great importance on "biodiversity" as the basis of all my works.

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