Sumire Skye Taniai was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and has lived in the United States for 18 years. She earned a BFA in painting from the University of Missouri in 2016 and received a full merit scholarship for her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019. Her artwork explores the Asian American immigrant experience, blending floating Japanese characters and abstracted imagery to evoke both tension and harmony. Having moved from Japan to the U.S. Midwest at a young age, Skye delves into her Japanese heritage within a Midwest context, infusing her experimental work with humor and playfulness.