About

Folding Futures: The Participatory Art of Kyoko Kimura Morgan

Kyoko Kimura Morgan is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is guided by the principle that transformation—social, emotional, artistic—can begin with something as simple as a square of paper. Through the medium of origami, she creates participatory art experiences that cultivate dialogue, empathy, and agency across lines of culture, language, and class.

About Kyoko Kimura Mogan

Raised in Japan and based in South Africa for over three decades, Kyoko’s work draws from both her cultural heritage and her lived experience navigating post-apartheid dynamics as an outsider-insider. 

Deeply inspired by her parents’ commitment to promoting peace through Buddhist activities in their community—and their frugal, intentional way of living—her practice is grounded in values of simplicity, compassion, and mindful action. It lives in public spaces, classrooms, libraries, prisons, and homes—wherever people are willing to fold.

Origami for Africa

In 2009, she founded Origami for Africa following her engagement with displaced families during the xenophobic attacks of 2008. Since then, the project has evolved into a non-hierarchical network of workshops, mentorships, and creative collaborations. 

As part of this growth, she has trained several young origami facilitators to lead workshops themselves, continuing the work in new contexts and communities. Her belief that “children make the best teachers” is central to her method: origami is passed on, not handed down.

Young Origami Facilitators

Kyoko’s Artistic Philosophy

Kyoko’s work resists traditional artistic boundaries. It is both craft and philosophy, social intervention and meditative practice. She often references mottainai (勿体無い), a Japanese value of not letting potential—material or human—go to waste. Whether upcycling ceramics into mosaics or involving unemployed women in patchwork projects, her process is always relational.

Participatory Art Events & Workshops

• One World Festival, Paarl Arboretum, 2018
• The Atomic Bomb and Human Rights Exhibition, Cape Town Holocaust Centre, 2017
• Origami for Africa Monthly Workshops,, Central Library, Cape Town, 2018
• Patchwork & Sashiko Stitching Workshops Clovelly Studio, Cape Town, 2001 onward
• Educational Outreach Workshops, Wesbank No. 1 Primary School & Athlone School for the Blind, 2011 onward

Creative Work & Collaborative Practice

Kyoko's creative work, which spans ceramics, mosaics, embroidery, Boro (ボロ) mending, Yotsume Toji (四つ目綴じ) book-binding, and Sumie (墨絵) ink painting, always maintains a collaborative or socially conscious dimension. For her, art is never about virtuosity alone, but rather about using accessible mediums to build relationships, stimulate confidence, and transform the everyday into sites of connection.

Contact & Collaborations

Kyoko is available for workshops, exhibitions and collaborative art projects. She welcomes partnerships with schools, libraries, museums, and social justice organizations interested in exploring art as a vehicle for connection, learning, and community care.

📧 Email: kyoko4origami@gmail.com

📍 Location: Based in Clovelly, Cape Town

🌐 Social: Follow her work at @kyoko_kimura_morgan

Kyoko visiting her father in Japan