Jesse Kanda

Jesse Kanda (born June 23, 1987)[1] is an artist, animator and musician based in London. He was born in Japan and raised in Canada. Besides his solo career as an artist and musician, he is also well known for his collaborations with musicians including Arca, FKA Twigs and Björk as well as providing visuals for fashion label Hood By Air.[2]

Jesse Kanda
Born1987 (age 35–36)
Kanagawa, Japan
Nationality
  • Canadian
  • Japanese
Known for
Musical career
Also known asdoon kanda
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • producer
Years active2017–present
LabelsHyperdub
Websitejessekanda.com

Background

Jesse Kanda partly grew up in Japan.[3] Since age 13, Kanda has shared his work online with the advent of artistic social networks deviantArt.com and mp3.com in the early 2000s. Today he continues to do so, now expanding into exhibitions and live shows. He is known for his collaborations with musician Arca who he met "on a DeviantArt forum when Kanda was 15 and Arca was 13."[4]

Jesse Kanda was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package during the 57th edition of the event (2015) for FKA Twigs's debut studio album LP1.[5]

Work

Common themes in Kanda's work have been growth, decay, death, freedom, fantasy, empathy, dream, innocence, subconscious, sexuality, sensuality, pain, suffering, euphoria, the body, movement, and magic.[6]

Kanda often employs a unique balance of aesthetic beauty and the grotesque. Juxtaposing life and death; or love and fear. Although he is mostly known for his sculptural mixed media images, animations and music, he has also ventured into traditional filmmaking, sculpture, fashion, painting and photography.[6]

His figures often exist in a dream-like spatial environment, often disfigured but with a sense of empathy and strength. His visual works are sometimes inspired by internal body parts, and Kanda admits "The inside of our body is much more beautiful than the skin that coats it, yet we’re afraid of it." Kanda transforms painful organ-looking heuristics into esthetic visual pieces.[3]

He has often used the music video as his artistic medium. Either creating the music himself, or collaborating with close friends.

In 2020 he provided visuals for beauty company Byredo.[7]

Music video credits

  • FKA Twigs – "How's That" (2013)[8]
  • FKA Twigs – "Water Me" (2013)[9][10]
  • Arca – "Thievery" (2014)[11]
  • Arca – "Now You Know" (2014)[12]
  • Arca – "Xen" (2014)[13]
  • Arca – "Sad Bitch" (2015)[14]
  • Wench – "Galvanize" (2015)[15]
  • Björk – "Mouth Mantra" (2015)[16]
  • Arca – "Front Load" (2016)[17]
  • doon kanda – "Axolotl" (2017)[18]
  • doon kanda – "Womb" (2017)[19]
  • Arca – "Desafío" (2017)[20]
  • Arca – "Anoche" (2017)[21]
  • Arca – "Reverie" (2017)[22]
  • Björk – "Arisen My Senses" (2017)[23]

Album art credits

  • Arca – &&&&& (2013)
  • FKA Twigs – LP1 (2014)
  • Arca – Xen (2014)
  • Arca – Sheep (2015)
  • Arca – Mutant (2015)
  • Arca – Entrañas (2016)
  • doon kanda – Heart (2017)
  • Arca – Arca (2017)
  • Björk – Utopia (2017)
  • doon kanda – Luna (2018)

Exhibitions & performances

  • TRAUMA – MoMA PS1 (2013)
  • Various live shows with Arca (2013–2017)
  • Solo exhibition and musical performance London Corsica Studios (2017)
  • Solo exhibition and musical performance Tokyo Liquid Room (2017)
  • Solo exhibition and musical performance Kyoto Metro (2017)

Discography

Albums

  • Labyrinth (2019)[24][3]
  • Galatea (2022)
  • Celest (2023)

EPs

  • Heart (2017)
  • Luna (2018)

References
  1. "Jesse Kanda". www.jessekanda.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  2. "Björk and Jesse Kanda Explain Their Creative Chemistry in WeTransfer | LBBOnline". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  3. Jessica Canjemanaden, Jesse Kanda on the beauty of organs, loneliness, and new album Labyrinth, Dazeddigital.com, 29 November 2019
  4. Dazed (December 19, 2014). "Arca: Xen master". Dazed. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  5. Artist: Jesse Kanda, Grammy.com
  6. "WeTransfer presents: 'Arisen My Senses' a video by Bjork and Jesse Kanda". WeTransfer. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  7. "Open-Source Craftsmanship: An interview with Isamaya Ffrench and Ben Gorham of BYREDO". Teeth Magazine. October 1, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  8. FKA twigs (May 3, 2013), FKA twigs – How's That, retrieved March 30, 2018
  9. FKA twigs (August 1, 2013), FKA twigs – Water Me, retrieved March 30, 2018
  10. "FKA Twigs – "Water Me" Video". Stereogum. August 1, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  11. Arca – Thievery (Official Video), retrieved March 30, 2018
  12. Arca 1000000 (October 31, 2014), Arca – Now You Know, retrieved March 30, 2018
  13. Arca 1000000 (November 17, 2014), Arca – Xen (Official Video), retrieved March 30, 2018
  14. Arca 1000000 (April 16, 2015), Arca – Sad Bitch, retrieved March 30, 2018
  15. HBA (September 12, 2015), HBA GALVANIZE BY WENCH, retrieved March 30, 2018
  16. Björk (December 7, 2015), björk: mouth mantra, retrieved March 30, 2018
  17. "Arca – Front Load (Official Video)". Vimeo. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. doon kanda (January 24, 2017), doon kanda – Axolotl, retrieved March 30, 2018
  19. doon kanda (February 13, 2017), doon kanda – Womb, retrieved March 30, 2018
  20. Arca 1000000 (April 10, 2017), Arca – Desafío, retrieved March 30, 2018
  21. Arca 1000000 (February 24, 2017), Arca – Anoche, retrieved March 30, 2018
  22. Arca 1000000 (March 16, 2017), Arca – Reverie, retrieved March 30, 2018
  23. Björk (December 20, 2017), björk: arisen my senses, retrieved March 30, 2018
  24. @jessekanda (September 12, 2019). "Doon Kanda debut album 'Labyrinth' release on Hyperdub (lp/cd/digital) it consists of 13 songs and 10 artworks the whole thing is out November 29th but of course there will be pieces coming out til then my heart is poooounding man much love thanks for all your support" (Tweet). Retrieved September 13, 2019 – via Twitter.
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