This interview series features conversations between artists and Meiji Hijikata, Director of the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art in Kawasaki, offering a closer look at their creative worlds.

In this edition, Hijikata speaks with Kento Senga, best known as a member of Kis-My-Ft2, who has been gaining recognition in recent years for his work as a visual artist.

Part One explores the moment that led Senga to pursue art, the influences behind his unique style, and how he has been shaping an artistic identity that draws from his entertainment background while continuing to evolve beyond it.

A Memory of His Grandmother, Who Opened the Door to Art

MILO (left) and AIMEE (right), characters from the "FiNGAiSM" series

Hijikata: Mr. Senga, you've garnered considerable attention as an artist in recent years, holding five solo exhibitions. You've been active in the entertainment industry since a young age, but what first led you into the world of art?

Senga: I've been drawing since I was little. My grandfather ran a printing company, and my grandmother worked there too. Since both of my parents worked, I often spent time at my grandmother’s house, and it became a routine for me to draw while watching her work. She was incredibly kind and would indulge all my whims.

I often saw her giving things to others, but rarely saw her on the receiving end. Around the third grade, I began to wonder if there was something I could give her, so I decided to present her with one of the portraits I’d often drawn of her. She was absolutely delighted. That moment gave me confidence, and from then on I started giving her a drawing every day. Before long, her bedroom walls were completely covered with my artwork. It was around that time that I began my career in entertainment and moved to Tokyo.

Hijikata: When did you begin working in entertainment?

Senga: In the sixth grade. Later, after I had debuted as part of the group, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Gradually, she began forgetting the faces and names of our family members. I continued to visit her often, but eventually, she forgot who I was too. I tried showing her CDs and fans with my image, things I had released at the time, but they didn’t jog her memory. Then, I suddenly remembered the drawings I used to give her and showed them to her. When she saw them, she remembered me. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said my name “Kento”.

Senga Reflects on Memories with His Grandmother

Senga: My grandmother passed away about two weeks after that. That experience sparked a deep sense of purpose in me, almost a calling, to create art that lives on in people’s memories. That was when I began painting on canvas. At first, I focused on portraits, and over time, those evolved into the characters I create today. The moment I helped my grandmother recover her memory became a central theme in my art.

Hijikata: After your grandmother passed, when did you decide to seriously pursue art?

Senga: It was about five years ago. For the first five years after my debut, I was focused entirely on my career in entertainment. I had even forgotten how much I loved drawing. That moment with my grandmother helped me remember a dream I had always carried with me.

Hijikata: I see. So reconnecting with your grandmother became a turning point and led you to reflect on your childhood memories and reconsider your path.

Senga: Exactly. It happened just before I turned thirty, and I see it as the beginning of a second chapter in my life. While it was painful that she passed away, I am truly grateful for that experience. It is because of that moment that I have been able to continue creating contemporary art alongside my entertainment work.

An Instinct for Expression Through Free-Form Lines

The Dynamic Brushstrokes of the Work Come Through Clearly

Hijikata: You're self-taught, right? I'm sure there must have been technical challenges, like figuring out how to approach a canvas. How did you overcome those?

Senga: I tend to really dive deep once I start something. I had no idea how to actually paint, but I happened to know the contemporary artist Shun Sudo and had the opportunity to paint with him. He would pour paint onto a spoon and let it flow across the canvas. When I tried that with him, I had this realization. I thought, "So lines can be this free." Up until then, my lines were really heavy and stiff, pressed hard into the surface. That experience opened me up to a sense of freedom. Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly I had an overwhelming amount of time. I just kept working on canvases, drawing lines over and over again.

Hijikata: It's great that your encounter with a contemporary artist helped guide you. If you had gone to a drawing class instead, your lines might have become even stiffer, and you may have lost that sense of freedom. Contemporary art allows for expressions that are not dictated by conscious control, such as unconscious lines. It seems that moment helped you recognize that. Your work has this innate freedom, a kind of looseness that trained artists sometimes struggle to reach. That might actually be your strength.

Senga: Thank you. I do not often feel constrained. The only time I start to feel a little restricted is in the final 10 percent of completing a piece. Until then, it feels completely free.

Hijikata: So you actually enjoy the act of painting?

Senga: I do. It is when I feel the most like myself.

Merging the Expected with the Personal, After Years in the Spotlight

Scene from the Conversation

Hijikata: There are some senior figures in the entertainment world who have shown an interest in art. Have you found inspiration from any of them?

Senga: Absolutely. I have great respect for all of my seniors. I admire those who have chosen to pursue art even more, since it is a completely different path. In that context, I want to create art that genuinely resonates with people today. It is not just about making what I want to make. I try to find the sweet spot between what is expected of me and what I truly want to express. That is something I learned through my experience in the entertainment industry.

Hijikata: I see. Looking at your work, I feel that your background in music and dance is clearly embedded in your art. There is a physicality to it, a bodily engagement that is very much in line with contemporary art’s emphasis on the artist’s own presence in the act of creation. That sense of rhythm and spontaneity likely comes from how deeply you have explored music and dance.

It is often said that the roots of art lie in festivals, where music, dance, and painting were once inseparable. Over time, each form became more specialized and refined, but they may also have lost some of their original energy. You did not come to painting from the fine arts, but through your dedication to music and dance in entertainment. That is one of your strengths as well.

Senga: I am really grateful to hear that. The art world has such a long and rich history, filled with different ideas and theories. What I want is to translate what I have personally felt and experienced into my work. For my solo exhibitions, I compose music, create animations, and even choreograph the dances myself. The characters in my animations do not speak, but I include captions alongside the paintings that follow. That is where I reveal their inner voices for the first time.

Art, to me, is about how the audience feels. Like producing a live performance, I try to create an entire world of entertainment within the exhibition space. I want people to feel excitement, to experience a range of emotions, and to reflect on those feelings. That is why I focus not only on the paintings, but also on lighting and figures. I aim to create an experience that extends beyond the canvas. I also want to make art that is accessible and engaging through platforms like social media. I want it to feel alive.

Discussing Senga’s Unique Approach to Presentation

Hijikata: I really sense the strength of your approach. You are engaging with the art world through freehand expression, which is entirely different from that of a professional painter. When someone graduates from an art university and becomes a painter, they often feel bound by academic conventions. These are the established ways of presenting and completing a painting that has existed for hundreds of years.

The idea of crafting an exhibition as a form of entertainment is something rarely seen among traditional artists. In a way, many of them disregard the viewer’s experience. But you have worked in live shows and concerts, so you naturally approach space as something to be fully built out and immersive. Applying that perspective to a solo exhibition was truly eye-opening for me. It is clear that your background continues to inform your practice.

Senga: I honestly believe that my art would not exist if I had not entered the entertainment world. Even the finger characters I have created come from my experience choreographing for group members and juniors, always thinking about how fans could join in the dancing. I have paid particular attention to hand and finger movements. I learned a lot from performances like SMAP(Japanese idol group)’s “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana,”  where the shape of the hand gestures, the meanings they convey, and how quickly fans can pick them up were all crucial in choreography.

That mindset directly influenced the creation of these finger characters. They are born from that same impulse to make something expressive, symbolic, and immediately shareable.

Fingertips Filled with Intention

Kento Senga speaks with sincerity as he reflects on his past, sharing his thoughts on art and his deep commitment to expression.

In the second part of the conversation, the focus shifts to "FiNGAiSM," the central concept of his creative practice, as he explores his vision for the future and what lies ahead in his journey as an artist.

View Part Two

Kento Senga: Essence of Love