The Art Of Acumen

Artist Drue Kataoka makes art for disrupters, and she tells Hong Xinyi how she has figured out an unconventional way to do it

- Hong Xinyi

WE MET ARTIST DRUE KATAOKA at the Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore late last year, where her blunt black bob and striking dress made her easy to spot in the sea of conference attendees clad in bland office attire. But this is no token bohemian making a corporate cameo. Named a Young Global Leader and Cultural Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012, Drue’s business savvy is just as informed by creativity as her art is.

Born to a Japanese father and American mother, she spent her early years in Tokyo before moving to the US, where she attended Stanford University in California. The school is renowned for its close ties to the California tech hub known as Silicon Valley, and that culture of innovation was alluring to her.

“I believe Silicon Valley is the Athens, Florence, Paris and New York of today,” says Drue, who remains based there. “It’s an incredible geyser of energy, of creativity, that’s bubbling up all the time. New technologies that are shaping our world are continually being birthed there. If you want to catch a glimpse of the future of anything, it is the place to look.”