PROFILE

TOSHIYUKI KITA

Began designing in Japan and Milano from 1969. Since then, Kita has designed many best-seller products from European and Japanese manufacturers world-wide. Many of his works are selected for permanent collections in world famous museums such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), etc. He is also very active in revitalizing and promoting local Japanese traditional crafts and industries as well. He is the Director of the international trade fair for home and lifestyle renovation “LIVING & DESIGN” and proponent of Japanese lifestyle renovation, the “RENOVETTA” project. Professor, The Osaka University of Arts. In 2015, his invitational exhibition “Il Lusso Della Natura” was held at Chiesa San Domenico Church in ALBA. Multi-international awards includes the 1990 “Delta de Oro (Gold Prize)” Award of Spain and the prize “carrier internazionale of Compasso d’Oro” of Italy in 2011. In 2016, he served as The International Jury of Compasso d’Oro, Italy. He was bestowed with the honorary title of “Commendatore” by the Italian republic, in 2017.
Received an “Intellectual Property Achievement Awards” from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in 2018.
His recent publications include “Power of Design”, “Local Industry + Design”, “Venture for Design”, and many more.

1969 Extend his creative field from Japan to Italy.
1981 “WINK” (chair) –selected for the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1984 “KICK” (table) –selected for the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1987 “WINK” (chair), “KICK” (table) –selected for the permanent collections of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany.
Participated in the celebrations at the Centre Georges Pompidou’s.
10th Anniversary. Exhibited “CEREMONIAL SPACE”.
1988 Personal Exhibition in Barcelona and Vienna.
1992 Designed the chairs and interior for the rotating theatre at the Japanese Pavilion in Seville ’92.
Member of the Jury for DELTA ADI FAD, Spain.
Exhibition in Helsinki, Finland.
1997 “MULTI LINGUAL CHAIR” –selected for the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York and for the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
1998 Member of the Jury of the Pro Finnish Design Competition, Helsinki. 13 of his works are selected for the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Saint-Etienne, France.
1999 Personal Exhibition in Helsinki.
2001 Exhibition “L’anima del design” in Milan.
Exhibition at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany.
“LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY TV” and “WINK” (chair) –selected for the permanent collection of the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
2002 Personal Exhibition at the show room Silvera in Paris.
Exhibition and Lecture in the international Furniture Fair in China.
2003 Personal Exhibition in Frankfurt, Barcelona, Milan and Verona.
2004 Exhibition in Milan.
Lecture at Industrial Design Summit in China.
Japan Good Design Award Chairperson.
2005 Personal Exhibition “anima” in Amsterdam.
2006 Produced Exhibition “50th Japan GOOD DESIGN AWARD” in Milan.
2007 Exhibition “IL FUTURO DELLA TRADIZIONE” at Salone del Mobile in Milan.
2008 Personal Exhibition “Natura e Tecnologia” in Milan.
2009 Personal Exhibition “KITA. FUTURA DELIGHT” in Milan.
Exhibition “Timeless Future” in Shanghai, China.
Produced “Japan Creative Centre” in Singapore.
Produced International trade fair “LIVING & DESIGN” in Osaka, Japan.
2010 Personal Exhibition “Timeless Future” in Milan.
Invited Exhibition in Foshan, China.
Invited Exhibition in Guangzhou, China.
2011 Awarded the Gold Prize of World Media Festival 2012 (Public Relations/Culture) at Hamburg, Germany, for DVD “Made with Heart and Soul”, 20 minutes documentary on Kita’s 40 years of collaboration with various local Japanese traditional arts and craftsmanship.
Announced the “RENOVETTA” Project, a new innovative renovation product at the international trade fair “LIVING & DESIGN 2012” in Osaka, Japan.
Published Book “Exploration of Design 1969 – / Why I went to Italy to design” [Gakugei Shuppan-Sha Publisher, 2012]
2013 Curator of Habitare’s “EcoDesign 2013 Exhibition”, Finland.
2014 Personal Exhibition “Timeless Design” in Castle Barolo, at Pre-EXPO2015’s FWD (Food Wine Design) Week 2014 in ALBA, Piemonte Italy. (June 6th – July 27th, 2014)
2015 Exhibition “KITA” and his produced brand “SENSHU JAPAN TOWEL (Osaka Towel Industrial Association)”at Milano HOMI.
Personal Exhibition “Il Lusso Della Natura” Oct.10th – Nov.11th, 2015 in ALBA, at Chiesa San Domenico Church.
2016 The International Jury of ADI Compasso d’Oro, Italy.
2017 Personal Exhibition “FLAT BAMBU SHIMANE” for INTERNI’s 20th Aniversary event in Milano.
2018 Personal Exhibition “Using Natural Materials as New Materials ” at GOOD DESIGN MARUNOUCHI.

AWARDS

1975 Won the Japan Interior Designers Association Award.
1983 Won the Product Design Award from the Institute of Business Designers and Contract Magazine in the United States.
1990 Won the Delta de Oro Award, Spain.
2011 Awarded a prize carriera internazionale of Compasso d’Oro in July 2011 in Italy.
2017 Received Commendatore of Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana.
2018 Received FY2018 Intellectual Property Achievement Awards for a good-standing company Utilizing Intellectual Property Rights System (Design exploitation) from the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office.

BOOKS

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Toshiyuki Kita : “Exploration of Design 1969- / Why I went to Italy to Design”

(Gakugei Shuppan-Sha Publisher, 2012) Having lived and experienced almost half a century of Italian design, the author recollects and puts forth, true meaning of a rich and fruitful life and what the role of design should be. He also mentions the life after WWII in Japan, and its sad results of restoration of Japanese living lifestyle now in a essay style book.

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Toshiyuki Kita―The Soul of Design

Traditional Craftsmanship and Design

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DVD

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Made with Heart and Soul

    Stile life Illustrate more than 40 years’ Kita’s collaboration with traditional Japanese crafts. WorldMediaFestival 2012 World Media Festival 2012 Gold titled in Public Relations/Culture

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