Kaï is an American artist, known for his use of cement and signature Imaginary Friend character. Kai, who studied art in Europe, became a street artist at the age of 16. His work has been exhibited across Paris, Aspen, Miami, and Los Angeles, and integrates universal themes and values. He has partnered with professional athletes and musical artists on custom collections and group exhibitions.
Early life and education
Born in Los Angeles to a French-Tunisian father and Mexican-American mother, Kai Guetta goes by the pseudonym Kai. After high school he studied at the l'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he learned about art disciplines and techniques and began to respect art as a way of life. Kaï is widely known for his street art, which can be found in his hometown of Los Angeles, across the United States and even, abroad. He also creates paintings and sculptures and limited edition collectibles.
Career
Kaï's first piece to receive public attention was a street art mural of a Marlboro cigarette pack with the term “Morons” replacing the brand’s name. During his teenage years, he continued to add graffiti pieces to surfaces in West Hollywood, typically with an anti-consumerism message. In 2012 he held his first solo exhibition at the Guetta Gallery in Los Angeles entitled Now Royalty, which consisted of paintings representing hip hop artists in medieval royal outfits and motifs. Prior to the creation of the twenty-seven paintings, he trained in Italy and Holland in order to study the work of the Flemish Masters. In all the collection took four years to create. In 2013 Kaï debuted his solo exhibition Lost Values at the Lab Art Gallery in Los Angeles, in which he spoofs commercial imagery. In 2014 Kai took both of his exhibitions to Miami, in order to exhibit them at the Lulu Laboratorium. Pieces from the collection have since sold to public figures in the hip hop industry, including Lil Wayne and P. Diddy. In 2013 Kaï held a guerilla solo exhibition in the Louvre-Rivoli station of the Paris metro. The exhibition featured sculptures of cigarette packets with ironic slogans similar to the pieces he first created in LA, and the Baroque-style oil paintings of hip hop icons from his Now Royalty collection. The exhibition was set-up before the station opened as it had not been officially authorized by the city. Each piece was arranged as if it were in a real gallery, with pedestals for the sculpture pieces and secured frames for the paintings. Some of the pieces parodied the work within the Louvre Museum specifically. In 2015 Kaï began partnering with musical artist Chris Brown, under the pseudonym Konfused, to produce street art pieces under the label Konfuzed x Kai collection. The two spray-painted Porsche vehicles for Fine Art Auction Miami’s Urban Art Week, in addition to several other pieces. These pieces were then auctioned during the week. Seven pieces were created by the two in all over a three-day period. He has also partnered with NFL player Jarvis Landry for artwork in Wynwood, Miami. At the 2016 Art Basel Miami, Kaï exhibited the installation pieceModern Relic, and later that year he exhibited cement plaques in the city of Le Touquet, France. In August 2017 Kaï affixed eight cement-relief pieces on the exteriors of seven buildings in Aspen, Colorado, causing the city to consider citing him for trespassing and destruction of property after his methods were seen as possibly damaging to the heritage value of the sites. In addition to gallery work, Kai has produced street art in several American cities, including Los Angeles and New York City. In September 2017 Kaï issue a limited edition serigraphy of "Love vs Money", one of his messages using the character IF. This Limited edition printsold out in 14 minutes The same month Kaï painted the façade of Rag & Bone’s store in New York Houston Street. June 2018, Kaï collaborate with Kev Adams, French actor, in design the Kev Adam Popup store. August 2019, Odell Beckham Jr. x Kai Make a Statement with a One-of-a-Kind Sneaker
