SATOSHI KAWAMOTO
Born and raised in Japan, Kawamoto's mission in life is to transform the way people interpret and relate to plants.
Overseeing the direction of shops in Tokyo, New York and Milan, Kawamoto is a designer across a wide range of genres. Working not only with greenery but also with interior styling of shops, restaurants, department stores and various events.
What sparked your interest in becoming a plant artist?
I’ve loved plants since I was a child. I was always surrounded by them.
In my early twenties, I began exploring how plants and interiors could come together to shape a space. That was when I started to see plants not just as objects, but as a medium.
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How do you make plants feel like a coherent visual language rather than decoration?
I don’t follow a fixed method. I focus on expressing a space through my own sensibility.
I spend time communicating with the client, understanding what they are looking for, and translating that into my own form of expression.
When I enter a new environment, I do not set strict rules. I begin by reading the atmosphere and interpreting the mood and context of the space.
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What unique benefits do living plants provide that other materials cannot?
Plants bring life into a space. Even in a minimal concrete environment, introducing just one plant can completely transform the feeling.
Plants are not a single category. There are rooted plants, cut flowers, dried materials, and artificial elements. By mixing these different states, I create depth and layers within a space.
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What would your dream site installation look like?
It would depend on the institution, but I would want to create something unexpected that people would not easily imagine.
What I value most is attention to detail and the beauty of transformation over time. These elements would be central to the concept.
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How might a museum dedicated to plant-based art operate differently?
Plants are constantly growing and changing, and their beauty is not always controlled.
A museum like this would embrace the passage of time, showing not only a fixed moment but also transformation. Some works would be alive, while others might consist of dried botanical materials similar to specimens.
It would be a space where visitors could experience both life and death.
And who would you include in your curation?
There are still very few artists who define themselves specifically as plant artists. Most are positioned as florists or gardeners.
Because of that, I might not limit the museum to a fixed group. I would invite different types of creators to respond to the space in their own way.
In terms of archives, I would include historical botanical books and references to show the context and history of working with plants.
I would also want to challenge the idea that plants are simply associated with healing or decoration, and instead present them as a serious artistic medium.
Photography Magnus Swärd
Words Johanna Engvall
Talent Satoshi Kawamoto
Layout Tove Wall Dyrting
Editor in Chief Sandy Kirik
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