Kiyoshi Ike was born in Osaka, Japan, to Korean parents. Growing up with this dichotomy, Korean culture at home and Japanese education in school and society, he took the situation for his aesthetic advantage. To find himself and his future, he traveled extensively in Europe and lived for six months in Paris for the art and cultural studies, which led to the final destination to the US. His idea to become an artists led to return to school for art education: first obtaining an associate degree of fine art from Onondaga Community College, then BFA from Syracuse University and MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has exhibited in museums, universities and galleries. He received a residency at Takako Araki Studio in Japan.