Artist Statement

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Kei’s street images and street portraits aim to spotlight life’s ever-changing, absurdly beautiful moments, including the bold individuals who inhabit them with a fearless disregard for others’ opinions.

 

Bio

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Born and raised in California, Kei moved to Los Angeles in 1991 aspiring to find fame in Hollywood in front of the camera. She eventually made a home in Santa Monica and found her true calling behind the scenes, working as a location manager and location scout for the last 26 years. She has worked on award-winning feature films, such as The Great Debaters, Django Unchained and Chef and has spent the last seven years working on the popular television show Young Sheldon. Kei won a C.O.L.A. award as Key Assistant Location Manager of the Year 2004 for her work on the James L. Brooks movie Spanglish, and she managed the C.O.L.A. Location Team of the Year 2012 on Terence Malik’s Knight Of Cups.

 

Kei’s career naturally turned her towards street photography, an organic evolution of her location scouting. A self-taught photographer, her images have been published in several independent magazines, and her work has been exhibited locally in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, as well as internationally in Mexico, Italy and Ireland. Kei is an active curator and livestream co-host of the international street photography group Street Badass, serving as one of their “Dirty Dozen.”  As a member of the Street Collective L.A., Kei has further embedded herself in the vibrant culture of street photography.

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Street Badass Interview