An Artists’ Dialogue: Kenichi Hoshine & James Jean

You may have heard of James Jean and Kenichi Hoshine already – they are both prolific, well-known, and exceptionally talented artists. James Jean was born in Taiwan and raised in New Jersey. Kenichi Hoshine was born in  Japan, and also raised in New Jersey.

Jean does a lot of varied work and is known for award-winning work in a variety of modes – illustration for many high-profile clients, his work in comics (cover artist for Fables and The Umbrella Academy), and his work for fashion clients such as Prada and Philip Lim.

James Jean - Swan. Acrylic, Oil, & Pastel on Linen, 50 x 88", 2008

Hoshine, on the other hand, leans more towards fine art exhibitions, with dreamlike mixed media work mostly in oils, encaustic (wax mixed with paint & pigment) and charcoal.

Kenichi Hoshine - Untitled, oil, Acrylic, acrylic emulsion on wood, 30 x 30 in.

Kenichi Hoshine - Untitled, charcoal, acrylic, and wax on wood, 22 x 22 in.

Jean was living in LA and Hoshine in NYC when they started their artists’ dialogue “A Polite Winter” in 2004. I know; 2004. The graphic design is sometimes dated, the freshness is now a museum piece. Well, not quite. This is such a great back-and-forth that it bears revisiting & holds up under scrutiny – there is playfulness and virtuoso skill in this exchange that is more than relevant today.

There’s something about an artists’ dialogue that is intriguing in of itself, whether collective work, collaborative work, or even the simple cadavre exquis approach. The sensibilities and approaches of each artist play off of one anothers’ imagery and concepts,  creating a richness fraught with implied narrative, with lots of subtle inter-referential elements that may or may not be apparent to the casual viewer. The speed with which these dialogues unfold is also an interesting element – unlike a personal project that can develop slowly and be worked on and reworked for months or even years, for a dialogue to not simply fizzle out, the artists need to produce their responses more quickly, so there’s a freshness and immediacy that is an essential aspect of the work.

Without any further blah blah blah, I direct you to the dialogue: A Polite Winter.  I am including only a small selection below as you really must visit the site to see the work in its “native” context. Enjoy!