Twenty-nine of Gajin Fujita's paintings will be on display at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art through November 5th. This is the artist's first solo museum exhibition. By Alex Smith and Sylvia Maria Gross
Kansas City, MO – Growing up in East LA in the 1980s, Gajin Fujita was inspired both by the traditional art of his Japanese heritage and the hip hop culture of the streets. Fujita got his start as part of a local graffiti crew, but he's become internationally known for his images of Samurai warriors, geishas and mythological dragons which are kind of transformed into West Coast b-boys and gangbangers. Gajin Fujita's work is featured in a solo exhibit this fall at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross recorded Fujita at the opening reception two weeks ago, and mixed it with some music that he works to.