Art Fundraiser LA | Timed Auction

Zen Sekizawa has been working as a photographer, director and artist for over 20 years 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. Growing up surrounded by creativity, music, dark humor and inclusivity 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 has developed an extensive roster of commercial clients including Apple, Jimmy Choo, Jaguar, Google, Sephora, T-mobile and Lexus. She is a member of Sustainable Little Tokyo Arts Action Committee and works directly with community organizations including Little Tokyo Service Center, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and The Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles.

Zen also works in collaboration with artist Mario Correa, in their arts based collaboration MANO YA. Within this custom object and furniture shop, each piece is designed, built, and finished by hand in their woodshop and studio, integrating fine art media, design and classic woodworking techniques inspired by Mexican and Japanese cultural traditions in these fields.

Recent and ongoing collaborations span various disciplines with Niki Nakayama of (now dual michelin-starred) n/naka Restaurant, shoe designer Tiffany Tuttle of LD Tuttle and musician Angus Andrew of Liars.