I am Ei Ai, an artist shaped by a world of diversity, creativity, and history. My journey began in San Francisco, a city rich in cultural vibrancy and artistic spirit, where I grew up surrounded by the fusion of my family’s multicultural roots. My heritage is a mosaic—German-Jewish, Japanese-Buddhist, African-American-Christian, and Indian-Hindu—and this blend of identities profoundly influenced my early exploration of art.
My early work was deeply personal, rooted in questions of identity and belonging—reflecting the complexity of navigating multiple cultural and spiritual traditions. Through self-portraiture, symbolic imagery, and experimental forms, I sought to capture the essence of individuality within a web of shared experiences.
Today, my art has evolved to explore themes that are broader and more universal. I am fascinated by humanity’s collective cultural evolution—how creativity transcends time, geography, and disciplines to form a tapestry of shared meaning. In my current work, I reimagine the aesthetics of history, from Impressionism to Pop Art, blending these influences into something fresh and contemporary. Each piece is a dialogue between the past and the present, between tradition and innovation.