Kris Goto is a Honolulu-based artist whose work playfully bridges her Japanese heritage, global upbringing, and island life in Hawaiʻi. Born in Kagoshima, Japan, and raised in Hong Kong before moving to New Zealand, Kris eventually made Hawaiʻi her home in 2006. These cross-cultural experiences shaped her distinct artistic voice: one that is rooted in tradition yet unafraid to bend reality into whimsical, dreamlike worlds.

A self-taught artist inspired by manga, surf culture, and the organic forms of everyday life, Kris is best known for her intricate pen-and-ink drawings and large-scale murals. Her work often features recurring motifs - umbrellas drifting through waves, fish swimming in surreal spaces, or musubi playfully reimagined - each infused with a sense of humor, intimacy, and curiosity. While her lines are delicate and precise, her subject matter pushes the boundaries of the ordinary, transforming familiar imagery into something unexpected and thought-provoking.

Kris’s art has been exhibited internationally, with murals across Hawaiʻi, Japan, and beyond. She has collaborated with both local and global brands, creating site-specific works for Ala Moana Target and Starbucks, as well as working with organizations such as Mana Up and Island Slipper. She has participated in international mural festivals such as Japan Walls, and has exhibited at events including the Haleʻiwa Arts Festival, Made in Hawaiʻi Festival, and Aloha Market Tokyo at Haneda Airport.

Through her art, Kris strives to build connections—between past and present, cultures and communities, imagination and reality. Each piece invites viewers to pause, smile, and rediscover wonder in the world around them.