Helena Kaori Maeda is a visual artist. She studied at the FAAP Art Academy and pursued Philosophy at USP, University of São Paulo. With enthusiasm, she worked as a textile designer in Brazil. Of Japanese descent, Kaori was born and raised in Brazil, which has infused her artwork with both Eastern and Western influences. In an unexpected turn of life, she settled down in the Netherlands for a few years, immersing herself in the creative subculture of ADM, which profoundly influenced her perspective on life and art. For over 25 years, she has been based in Amsterdam. Sculptor Cleber Machado was her mentor and decisive influence, when she developed a sculptures serie, presented in a collective exhibition at the MUBE, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura in São Paulo, Brazil. Kaori served as curator for the first two years of NDSM Fuse and has led several projects as a creative project manager for neighborhood women of diverse nationalities. In 2012, the triptych Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow was acquired by the Amsterdam Archive Museum. In 2018, she co-organized a duo-kinetic sculpture exhibition with Frank Hietbrink at NDSM Fuse. Her participation in group exhibitions spans from 1996 to 2025. Her latest project is the foldable drawing book titled MWe, currently featured in the exhibition of the same name at NDSM Fuse Salon, running until March 1, 2026. An article titled MWE - ME & WE appeared on January 10 in the weekend edition of Het Parool, under the section "Best According to PS."

 

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