Kis-My-Ft2 member and multidisciplinary artist Kento Senga brings his vibrant art project “FiNGAiSM” to London for the very first time. Held at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery from October 16 to 19, 2025, this marks Kento’s fourth solo exhibition outside Japan—and his long-awaited European debut.
Following successful exhibitions in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, FiNGAiSM in London represents Kento’s bold step into the European art scene. For him, London’s multicultural atmosphere and its deep connection to modern art make this debut particularly meaningful. He has long viewed the city as a symbolic birthplace of contemporary creativity—a crossroads of cultures and artistic philosophies—and now, by bringing FiNGAiSM here, he hopes to see how audiences from diverse backgrounds will respond to his work.
Anyone who’s followed Kento’s journey knows him not just as an idol, but as an artist in every sense. Within Kis-My-Ft2, he’s known for his refined sense of beauty, his choreography, and his resilient drive to create something lasting. Fans who’ve read his blog SENGAiSM will recognize the same spirit here—his belief that art, like music and dance, transcends words.
As he once said, “Fingers can communicate even without language.”
That belief has now taken physical form through FiNGA, his original character series built around gestures that express emotion, connection, and care.
The exhibition explores themes of identity and modern luxury, featuring large-scale figures, paintings, and new mixed-media works starring his signature characters, Milo and Aimee. These characters—whose faces are formed from finger poses—embody Kento’s wish to connect the world through small, universal gestures of love and kindness.
Under the theme “Essence of Love,“ Kento expresses the emotional chaos of falling in love—the thrill, excitement, fear, and uncertainty that come all at once.
“It’s the perfect reflection of that first-sight feeling,” he explains. “Through FiNGAiSM, I wanted to capture that mixture of emotions.”
The accompanying 3D animation running in the background on a big screen, also titled Essence of Love, was crafted with London’s cityscape in mind. It captures the contrast between Japanese subtlety and Western directness in expressions of love—two cultural perspectives merging into a single heartbeat.
Kento’s artistic journey began long before his exhibitions. In his artist talk, he recalled that when he first started painting seriously, he focused on portraits—but by the time he held his first solo exhibition in Omotesando, he realized he wanted to reach more people through characters that anyone could love. That was how FiNGAiSM was born.
He spoke tenderly about his grandmother, who ran a printing company filled with stacks of paper that shaped his earliest memories of color and creativity. As a child, he often drew her while she worked and presented those drawings as small gifts. She was a kind and selfless woman who always said, “It’s okay, it’s okay” whenever others made requests, but rarely received anything in return.
Wanting to make her smile, he began drawing her portraits daily—hundreds of them. She taped each one to her walls until they were covered. Years later, when Alzheimer’s began to cloud her memory, and she couldn’t remember him, it wasn’t the stories he told, or the photos and concert merch he showed her, but one of those very drawings that brought her to tears as she recognized it and said his name.
That moment became the foundation of his creative life. From then on, Kento decided to dedicate himself to creating art that would live on in people’s hearts, art that could speak where words fall short.
In his talk, he also shared that memory itself has become a central theme in his work—a symbol of love that connects people across time. He believes that kindness, once received, remains imprinted in the heart like a vivid color that never fades. Through FiNGAiSM, he hopes to pass on that feeling, creating art that comforts, encourages, and reminds people of the warmth of being remembered.
When designing each exhibition, he carefully considers not only the artworks but also how the space feels. Lighting, arrangement, and flow are all part of his storytelling. Each piece supports the next, forming a single world of emotion and discovery. His goal is simple yet profound: for visitors to feel happiness when they step into the FiNGAiSM universe, even if only for a moment. He explained that he wants every person who enters the room to leave carrying something bright within them—a small spark of joy or comfort that might lift them on a difficult day.
Kento also spoke about how he builds texture and presence in his sculptures, such as coating them with a glossy finish like that used on luxury cars to enhance their life-like glow. Every layer, every shine, is the result of deep experimentation with his team, each member sharing the same affection for the FiNGA characters. His paintings, by contrast, are created with spontaneous emotion, with no outlines—capturing whatever he feels in that exact moment. He says that he paints with honesty, prioritizing emotional impact over perfection, because he wants each piece to resonate deeply with whoever views it, especially in their moments of struggle or sadness.
Every detail—from the metallic finish of his sculptures to the melodies in his animations—is designed by Kento himself. He composes, writes lyrics, and even crafts sneakers by hand, keeping every aspect of FiNGAiSM within his own creative ecosystem.
The fear of evaluation, of the unknown, is something Kento openly embraces. Entirely self-funded, Kento paid for every detail of the London exhibition out of his own pocket—aware of the risks but unwilling to compromise, and remains determined to break through borders with his characters. He hopes that his artistic success will also become one of Kis-My-Ft2’s collective strengths—a way of giving back to the group that has supported him from the start. His courage speaks to a deeper truth about being an idol-artist: that creativity can thrive beyond expectations, and that taking risks is often what gives art its most human shape.
To celebrate the exhibition, London buses wrapped in FiNGAiSM illustrations were driving through iconic districts like Kensington and Oxford Circus until October 20. Meanwhile, the South Kensington Station escalator monitors played exclusive FiNGA animations—turning the commute itself into a pop-art experience. Visitors could even join a mystery-solving event, where the winner received one of Kento’s limited figures valued at over £4,000. It’s a creative gesture that embodies what FiNGAiSM is all about—interaction, joy, and shared discovery.
Walking into the gallery, visitors might also notice something special: while other artists shared their display spaces within the FOCUS Art Fair, Kento’s works were given their own dedicated room. His FiNGAiSM world stood distinctly on its own, with walls lined by vibrant canvases and detailed sculptures—a reflection of how much care and vision he poured into this project.
Some of his paintings dazzled with small “sold” stickers by the second day of the exhibition, a subtle yet profound proof of the magnetic pull his art had on visitors, especially those who didn’t know of him before this exhibition.
Fans noted how the layout of his room felt remarkably open—unlike his earlier exhibitions in Japan, where space was often divided or compact. Here in London, the single, cohesive room allowed every piece to breathe, letting visitors truly see how each artwork connects within the same universe.
One fan shared that in earlier shows, shoes or paintings were separated into smaller displays, but this time, everything worked in harmony, framing his signature giant figure as a striking centerpiece that captured the world he’s trying to create. They also mentioned how, because shipping costs probably limited the number of works he could bring, Kento was deliberate in curating only the pieces that best told his story—showing not only his creativity but his careful thought and courage to take chances on an international stage.
His effort, from the meticulous curation to the PR campaigns with buses, screens, sugar art collaborations, and the mystery-solving event, reflected just how seriously he approaches his craft and how deeply he believes in building FiNGAiSM beyond borders.
What makes Kento’s approach all the more inspiring is that, even while he continues to produce new pieces, he seems to revisit older works to refine or update them when he feels they can be improved. It makes one believe that art is a living process—constantly growing alongside the artist himself.
Fans who have followed his exhibitions across Japan, from Harajuku to Nagoya to Shibuya, have watched that growth firsthand. One longtime attendee shared that each new showcase reveals another layer of refinement and depth in his work, and that the London exhibition feels like his most ambitious yet—a culmination of everything he’s learned so far. They noted how this was by far the most high-profile stage he has taken on, drawing in an entirely new global audience while still maintaining the heart of what makes FiNGAiSM uniquely his.
Another fan described London as a true test of Kento’s artistic courage—a space far from home where he could no longer rely on his idol fame, but instead let his art speak entirely for itself. The open layout and the darker, grittier tones of some new paintings suggested a more mature evolution of his world, and the fact that several works were already marked as sold reflected how well they resonated with viewers.
His leap into the international art scene was not only inspiring but hopeful—a reminder that his dream of creating a character recognized and loved around the world is slowly, steadily taking shape.
Those who visited the Saatchi gallery shared how different this exhibition felt compared to those held in Japan. In London, visitors came not only from Japan and London, but from across the world—Korea, Taiwan, Sweden, and countless others who simply happened upon the space out of curiosity.
One fan reflected, “In Japan, it’s mostly Kento’s fans who come to see his work, but overseas, people who don’t even know him still stop to look. They come because they love art, and they end up connecting with his pieces.”
For many, that openness made the experience even more meaningful, and a sense of pride to see people who don’t know him appreciating his art. It wasn’t just about seeing Kento’s work; it was about watching him reach a truly global audience, where even strangers felt drawn to his vision and where his art, quite literally, found new homes around the world.
This moment perfectly echoes Kento’s own dream of bridging cultures through FiNGAiSM. For him, the project has always been about more than color and form—it’s about connection.
When asked if he faced any particular hurdles trying to break into the foreign art scene, Kento smiled and shared that he never saw true obstacles—only opportunities. He explained that once he decided to dedicate himself fully to art, the people, circumstances, and possibilities he wished for began to naturally align.
His message to anyone pursuing their dreams was simple yet powerful: if you’re passionate about something, just go for it. Believe in what you love, and the path will unfold before you.
Seeing people of different backgrounds pause, smile, and reflect in front of his art embodies exactly what he has worked toward: a world where love, art, and empathy speak louder than language.
At its heart, FiNGAiSM in London is more than an exhibition—it’s an act of connection—a true essence of love that Kento has brought to the world.
Through his whimsical yet deeply personal creations, Kento continues to bridge worlds: between Japan and the West, fear and excitement, individuality and unity. His dream to make FiNGA “the world’s most recognized character art” is not just ambition—it’s a reflection of his lifelong desire to connect people through emotion.
And for fans watching from afar and close, it’s hard not to feel proud. Kento’s determination, his sincerity, and his quiet strength remind us why we fell in love with his artistry in the first place.
If you were in London this October, we hope you took a moment to step into his world and share with us your thoughts by using #FiNGAiSMinLONDON. And if not, share your thoughts with #FiNGAiSMAroundtheWorld to let us know where you would like to see FiNGAiSM go next!
“Through the world of FiNGAiSM, I hope to express the essence of love—all the emotions that collide when you fall for someone at first sight.”
—Kento Senga
Photos © Dumpling Box