Zen Sekizawa has been working as a photographer, director, and artist for over two decades in her hometown of Los Angeles, CA. She is second-generation Angeleno and fourth-generation Japanese-American. Her childhood was spent at The Atomic Cafe, a Los Angeles punk rock institution, owned and operated for over four decades by her family in Little Tokyo. Raised in and surrounded by creativity, chaos, music, dark humor, and the inclusivity of the cafe, she has formed a surreal, funny, and beautifully subversive aesthetic that is all her own.
Since earning her BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design in 1999, Zen’s practice has grown to include an extensive roster of commercial clients including Jaguar, Nike, Apple, IBM, Lexus, Vogue, and the New Yorker.
Zen also works in collaboration with artist Mario Correa, in their arts-based project MANO YA. Within this custom object and furniture shop, each piece is informed by legacies of Mexican and Japanese design, woodworking techniques, and art histories.
She is a member of Diversify Photo, Vigilant Love, Sustainable Little Tokyo Arts Action Committee, and works directly with community organizations, including Nikkei Progressives and Chinatown Community for Equitable Development.
Zen is in solidarity with all communities and individuals that fight against systems of oppression.
Zen Sekizawa website
Zoom link to lecture: https://otis.zoom.us/j/4866446744
Image: Miss Grass
