Aya Kakeda — New York, USA

Kakeda’s characters roam free in a wilderness that is darker and sinister than it is pretty and nice.

Whimsical, romantic, nostalgic are some words that describe the gorgeous illustrations of Brooklyn based illustrator Aya Kakeda. Her landscapes are figurative and haunting, but not scary, like the type you’d find in a dark dream — a secluded private world in which funny hats are worn and even the bears are funny rather than scary.