JURI
UMAGAMI
ABOUT THE ARTIST
BIO
Juri Umagami started oil painting at Usukubo Yuji Art Atelier in Tochigi, Japan when she was eight years old. In 2009, she moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue her goal to become an artist and art instructor. She studied classical painting and drawing techniques under the guidance of Cheryl Kline at Kline Academy of Fine Art. In May 2017, she graduated with a B.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design and later received her Master's Degree in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2026. She teaches drawing and painting at Kline Academy while showing her work in galleries.
STATEMENT
My paintings explore the unlikely but entertaining hybrid of classical art and contemporary teen culture, inspired by my years of teaching adolescents in a Teen Art class. In my work, I satirize the disconnect between today’s youth and traditional art by juxtaposing Old Master compositions with the personalities, trends, and digital habits of modern teenagers, as a visual record of my teaching life. While my work carries weight, I infuse each painting with a sense of whimsy and humor to create a playful incongruity that makes classical art more accessible and relevant to viewers.
"Juri Umigami skillfully recreates classical paintings and interjects a playful yet disturbing contemporary sensibility frequently showing youthful subjects disinterested in the grand narrative surrounding them and distracted by synthetic diversions." - Peter Zokosky
EDUCATION
2023 - 2026 MFA, Painting, Laguna College Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA
2014 - 2017 BFA, Painting, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA
2009 - 2012 AA, Art, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA
1994 - 2000 Usukubo Yuji Art Atelier, Japan
AWARD
2026 Trustees Choice Award Winner, Laguna College of Art + Design
2026 Scholarship 3rd Place Winner, The Pacific Art Foundation
2025 Scholarship Competition Winner, The Fine Arts Club of Pasadena
2017 Otis Grant Award in Drawing Winner, Otis College of Art and Design
EXHIBITION
2026
Cannibal Flower Show, Lucky Cat Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
The Hive's Top Circus Show (Featured Artist), The Hive Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Pacific Art Foundation Annual Exhibition, Pacific Art Club, Laguna Beach, CA
LCAD MFA Exhibit: Undercurrents, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
LCAD Juried Exhibition, Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA
A New Tide: Laguna Beach City Hall MFA Exhibition, Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA
2025
Just Like Honey 2, Antler Gallery, Portland, OR
Apanage Days, The Apanage Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Intersect Aspen Art + Design Fair, Heard Gallery, Aspen, CO
Just Like Honey (Seattle Art Fair), Antler Gallery, Seattle, WA
Telluride Art Walk (Telluride Arts), Heard Gallery, Telluride, CO
The Hive's 1980's Circus Show, The Hive Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
The Beginning of the End, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Hollywood, CA
2024
Cute and Creepy 2, The Hive Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Annual Everything But the Kitchen Sink Exhibition, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Hollywood, CA
Big Canyon Show, Big Canyon Country Club, Newport Beach, CA
Laguna Beach City Hall MFA Exhibition, Laguna Beach City Hall, Laguna Beach, CA
2023
RAIZ II curated by Thinkspace Projects | Tlaloc Studios | The Perez Brothers, Palm Desert, CA
Demasiado, Tlaloc Gallery + Superchief Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
2022
Retrato, Tlaloc Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
2019
Art Show, Boartooth Tattoo, Los Angeles, CA
2018
The Women Show, West Hollywood, CA
2017
SOLA Grand Opening Exhibit, SOLA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Liminal, Annual Exhibition 2017, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA
On the Glass Parameter, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Judaka Fo Ceviti, Bolsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
□ (8.5 x 11"), Bolsky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
XXL, Nous Tous by Citizens of Culture, Los Angeles, CA
2014
Buffering, Inglewood, CA
2011
Food, Santa Monica College, Los Angeles, CA