An image of Aaron and Irisa Kawabi in their Brooklyn studio

Kawabi is the studio practice of Irisa and Aaron Kawabi. Informed by their spiritual interests and mutual lens of ancestry through diaspora, Kawabi provides a container to explore materiality, shape, and space as tools for inner attunement.

Aaron Kawabi in the middle of spooling reed in their Brooklyn-based studio

The name ka–wa–bi translates to story–paper–pen and is a symbol of the duo's commitment to the Eastern philosophies and cultures that have influenced their creative practice.

Ka — katha as 'story' in Sanskrit

Wa — washi as 'paper' in Japanese

Bi — bi as 'pen' in Chinese