1981–2004 | Childhood and Student Years in Nagoya

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Keijiro Suzuki was born in 1981 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

From an early age, he was interested in drawing and creative expression.

He later entered Nagoya City University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, majoring in International Cultural Studies. During his studies, he developed strong interests in cultural anthropology, cross-cultural understanding, community structures, and the relationship between art and society.

These experiences became the foundation of his later socially engaged artistic practice.

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2004–2010 | Houston Years and Artistic Formation in the United States

 

Driven by the desire to “simply try what he truly wanted to do,” Suzuki moved to Houston, Texas.

He studied art at Houston Community College and the Glassell School of Art, later continuing graduate studies in sculpture at the University of Houston. At the same time, he worked as an Assistant Curator at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston, where he was exposed to international contemporary art and socially engaged practices.

In 2006, he participated in the Project Row Houses Summer Studio Residency, an experience that profoundly influenced his understanding of community-based social practice art rooted in African American neighborhoods.

One of his early representative projects, Stories of Native American Descendants, explored Native American history, identity, and collective memory through research and artistic practice.

Living within Houston’s multicultural and immigrant communities also shaped his perspective of art not merely as object-making, but as a social practice capable of connecting people and communities.

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Selected Activities and Awards

• 2005 Faculty Choice Award (Houston Community College)

• 2006 Faculty Choice Award

• 2006 Sifuentes Mini Grants

• 2006 Project Row Houses Summer Studio Residency

• 2007 CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL Fellowship

• 2007 The Robert Lobert Memorial Scholarship

• 2007 DiverseWorks “The Real World” Residency

• 2008 Contemporary Arts Museum Houston “Slide Jam”

• 2009 “Cumanana” at Saltworks Gallery

• 2009 Program Committee Member at Lawndale Art Center

• 2010 the temporary space (Houston)

• 2010 Fotofest 2010 “Permutation”

 

 

2010–2012 | International Activities Across Europe and Asia

 

Suzuki began participating in international exhibitions and artist residencies throughout Europe and Asia.

His activities expanded to Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and other regions. In 2010, he joined the Hilmersen Residency Project in Germany. In 2011, he participated in the GlogauAIR Residency in Berlin and the Jakarta Biennale #14 in Indonesia.

In 2012, he participated in the exhibition Time Bank at UniCredit Studio in Sofia, Bulgaria. Around the same period, he developed stronger connections with Southeast Asia through research activities and presentations, including a talk at 98B in the Philippines.

During these years, themes such as “cultural translation,” “local memory,” “social issues and art,” and “community formation” became central to his practice.

 

Selected Exhibitions and Activities

• 2011 Jakarta Biennale #14 (Jakarta, Indonesia)

• 2011 GlogauAIR Residency (Berlin, Germany)

• 2012 Time Bank at UniCredit Studio (Sofia, Bulgaria)

• 2012 Interpreter for Go Watanabe at Kuandu Biennale (Taipei, Taiwan)

• 2012 Low Lives 4 (YICA)

 

 

2013–2016 | European Residency and Return to Japan

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In 2013, Suzuki joined the residency program at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, while also conducting research and exhibitions related to Morocco.

In 2014, he organized a talk event related to the Sydney Biennale. The same year, he exhibited the collaborative work J... with French writer Michel Butor in Nice, France.

In 2015, he participated in Cinéphémère-FIAC, a project associated with FIAC in Paris, while also becoming involved in initiatives such as Collective:EAS_Y in Japan.

During this period, Suzuki began establishing Yamaguchi as his primary base. Alongside his artistic activities, he increasingly engaged in art management, regional cultural projects, support for younger artists, and international exchange programs.

Working with YICA (Yamaguchi Institute of Contemporary Arts), he supported artist talks, exhibitions, and collaborative programs involving both Japanese and international artists.

 

Selected Activities

• 2013 Cité Internationale des Arts Residency (Paris, France)

• 2013 Presentation at 98B (Manila, Philippines)

• 2014 Exhibition at Bibliothèque Louis Nucéra (Nice, France)

• 2015 Organizer of Sydney Biennale-related Talk Event

• 2015 Cinéphémère-FIAC

• 2015 Collective:EAS_Y Vol.01 (Planning, Management, Participation)

• 2015 Autumn Knight & Robert Pruitt Projects

• 2016 Participation in “Art de Omotenashi” Exhibition

 

 

2017–2019 | Deepening Regional Practice and International Exchange

 

Inspired by Patrick Geddes’ concept of the “Valley Section,” Suzuki conducted research throughout Yamaguchi Prefecture and created Coloring Tradition, later presented in both Japan and Scotland.

In 2017, he participated in the Patrick Geddes Learning Festival in Edinburgh.

During this period, he continued projects in Japan and Scotland focusing on regional culture, local memory, everyday life, and environmental relationships.

In 2018, he received the 10th Yamaguchi Emerging Artist Award, recognizing his regionally rooted practice.

In 2019, he was selected for the Art Fair Asia Fukuoka AWARDS and presented the Voyage to the Unknown Territories at Gallery Soap.

Around the same time, he established KEIJIRO SUZUKI International Arts Consulting to further support international cultural exchange and art projects.

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Selected Activities and Awards

• 2017 Coloring Tradition

• 2017 Patrick Geddes Learning Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland)

• 2018 10th Yamaguchi Emerging Artist Award

• 2019 Art Fair Asia Fukuoka AWARDS (Selected)

• 2019 the Voyage to the Unknown Territories

• 2019 Establishment of KEIJIRO SUZUKI International Arts Consulting

 

 

2020–2022 | Post-Pandemic Social Practice Projects

 

Following the pandemic, Suzuki’s interests increasingly focused on local communities, well-being, healthcare, and everyday cultural practices.

In 2020, he participated in Drawing the Ghost, curated by Robert Pruitt at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Los Angeles.

Beginning in 2021, he became involved as a Local Coordinator for YCAM’s “Kuriclab – Mobile Classroom,” a project exploring education, mobility, locality, and learning.

From 2021 to 2024, he also served as Director of YICA.

In 2022, he participated in the Rock Cycle Yamaguchi by Scottish artist Ilana Halperin. The same year, he joined a residency at Fundaziun Nairs in Switzerland and exhibited Poetical Interplays.

During this period, Suzuki became increasingly engaged with the concept of "Health Care Art" and “Useful Art,” exploring how art can contribute more directly to local communities and social well-being.

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Selected Activities

• 2020 Drawing the Ghost at Koplin Del Rio Gallery (Seattle, USA)

• 2021 Neighborhood at Koplin Del Rio Gallery (Seattle, USA)

• 2021 Serrum “Kurikulab – Moving Class” (YCAM)

• 2021–2024 Director of YICA

• 2022 the Rock Cycle Yamaguchi by Ilana Halperin (Orkney Islands, Scotland)

• 2022 Fundaziun Nairs “Poetical Interplays” (Scuol, Switzerland)

 

 

2023 | Community Programs and Cultural Practice

 

In 2023, Suzuki worked as a Program Designer for Speculative Library, part of YCAM’s 20th anniversary projects.

He also contributed as one of the instructors for Custom and Culture in Daily Life at Yamaguchi Prefectural University, focusing primarily on Japanese daily culture and regional culture for international students.

Additionally, he assisted with film projects by artists such as Heidrun Holzfeind and Nao Yoshigai, while organizing artist talks and regional exchange programs.

That same year, he contributed to Brooklyn Rail’s memorial article for James Harithas, reflecting on his experiences in Houston and his relationship with the Station Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Selected Activities

• 2023 YCAM “Speculative Library” Program Design

• 2023 Custom and Culture in Daily Life

• 2023 Assistance for Heidrun Holzfeind Film Project

• 2023 Brooklyn Rail “In Memoriam, A Tribute to James Harithas”

 

 

2024 | Expansion into Taiwan, Nepal, and International Networks

 

In 2024, Suzuki conducted residency research and artistic activities in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

He also participated in the Res Artis International Conference 2024 in Taipei, engaging in international discussions on Useful Art and regional cultural practice.

Later that year, he joined Kathmandu University in Nepal as a Visiting Artist.

 

Selected Activities

• 2024 Residency and Research in Hsinchu, Taiwan (Hsinchu, Taiwan)

• 2024 Res Artis International Conference (Taipei, Taiwan)

• 2024 Kathmandu University Visiting Artist (Kathmandu, Nepal)

• 2024 Research and Talks on Healthcare Art and Useful Art

 

 

2025–Present | AI Film, Publishing, and Cross-Disciplinary Practice

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In 2025, Suzuki participated in a residency at Nohga Hotel Kiyomizu Kyoto.

The same year, he organized screenings related to the OMNI International AI Film Festival, developing projects and networks around AI-generated moving images and cinema.

He also became a Planning and Management Committee Member of Akiyoshidai International Art Village.

At the same time, Suzuki launched the Ponlai Rice Project, researching the historical and cultural connections between Taiwan and Japan through agriculture, fermentation culture, rice history, and sake-making traditions. The project explores topics such as Otoichi Ito, Kokuryomiyako rice, Taiwanese Ponlai rice, Taichung No. 65, and Japanese sake culture, and is currently developing into a documentary film project.

Inspired by his 2024 visit to Nepal, he also began collaborating on the Gen Z Power Photo Book Project, documenting social transformation, youth culture, and photographic practices among Nepalese Gen Z communities through international collaboration and publishing initiatives.

In recent years, Suzuki has increasingly integrated writing, publishing, online platforms, documentary research, AI-generated film, and community-based artistic practice through platforms such as note, Medium, Kindle, Patreon, and Instagram.

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Keywords

• Social Practice Art

• Useful Art

• Community Art

• Cultural Translation

• Art & Well-being

• Fieldwork

• AI Film

• Fermentation Culture

• Taiwan / Japan History

• Participatory Art

• Regional Culture

• Visual Anthropology

• Art Management

• Residency Programs

• Documentary Research