I first heard of Kamihira years ago, when I was still in college moving between the New York and Philly art scenes. It was known in many circles as a swiss knife of a space, able to conform to serve a multitude of purposes for various artists, hosting pop-ups, live events, and some very exciting art. I have one particularly fond memory of attending a dance party there, between late winter and very early spring, leaving with my roommate a little drunk and cold, my mind exhilarated despite my body’s exhaustion. For me, that was a quintessentially Philly night. And Kamihira itself is quintessentially Philly: a collective emboldened by DIY ideals, a spirit of community, and of course, a champion of the local and the weird. A few years back, Kamihira even let me use their space to shoot a few scenes of a film I was making, the perfect backdrop for a Philly girl’s coming-of-age.
I talked with the team, made up of the eponymous Toshiro and Leks Kamihira, brothers and artists (embroidery and fabrication, respectively), and Alyssa Piro, an organizer and curator. Due to the pandemic, Kamihira has had to transition from a physical storefront to a more amorphous but nonetheless proactive collective. The members spend their time planning events around the city and continuing to support the local art scene at large.
