Alina Kawai was born in Hyōgo, Japan, and is currently an MFA Candidate ’21 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2016 Kawai received her BFA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, with an emphasis on painting. Much of her artworks emphasize color, form, and symbols, which inquire how one is connected to culture and becomes a reflective quiet space. Kawai has interned at the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Contemporary Art Department and has exhibited works in CONTACT 2018, Gallery I‘olani, Koa Gallery, and Wailoa Center. In addition, Kawai has recently co-curated a virtual exhibition Why Are You Painting? at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Her painting is also in the permanent collection of the Hawai‘i State Art Museum and Ke Kilohana Condo.
