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Terminal 1 Takes Flight With Art-Forward Renovation

Local artist Kaori Fukuyama chosen as first artist to help create a large-scale piece for SAN's Under the Wing Mentorship program
Tomoko Matsubayashi

By Seth Combs

Artist Kaori Fukuyama

Kaori Fukuyama at PHES Gallery in front of her most recent piece, Murmuration, which is made from plastic picks and produces a startling icicle effect.

Tomoko Matsubayashi

The Terminal 1 (aka T1) upgrade and renovation has officially broken ground at San Diego International Airport. Travelers have likely already noticed groundbreaking new artwork from notable names such as Margaret Noble and Sasha Koozel Reibstein. The latest name on that list will be local artist Kaori Fukuyama, known for her ethereal installations like the panoramic light-and-tile piece Wave of Change outside the North Park Target.

Fukuyama describes her work as “always changing and adapting and evolving;” she is the first artist to be picked for SAN’s new Under the Wing Mentorship Program, where she will be paired with LA-based artist Nova Jiang to install a large-scale piece of public art inside the T1 ticketing lobby.

Factor in NYC-based artist and designer James Carpenter, who was recently selected to design the T1 facade, and San Diego is set to have one of the most richly designed, art-forward airports in the country. Until the rebuild opens in 2028, however, readers can see Fukuyama’s work at Boundaries and Connection through July 30 at the PHES Gallery in Carlsbad.

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