Kai Mote is an MFA student in Studio Art with a concentration in Time Based Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Kai Mote is from Nashville, Tennessee and graduated with a BA in Studio Arts and Art History from Bard College in 2016. After graduating, he worked with artists Carolee Schneemann and Lucy Dodd, co-founded the interdisciplinary artist collective Hidden Currencies, and went on to manage Johannes Vogt Gallery in New York, NY.

Artist Statement

“In my work I use technology and sound to create paintings made of water and light. It is through my collaborations with dancers and musicians that I have challenged my own perceptions of what constitutes a ‘painting’ and developed dynamic water-light projections as a response. By working with these non-static mediums, I invite the viewer to experience painting not just with their eyes but with their bodies too. By providing a kinetic context, I hope to invite a novel and somatic approach to the various themes and narratives that are addressed in my work.”