Kissi Ussuki

Justė Urbonavičiūtė, known professionally as Kissi Ussuki, is a Lithuanian artist whose work creates a distinctively ironic and dreamlike universe, masterfully rendered in shades of pink. Based in Vilnius, her illustrations feature charismatic figures—often women or beings of ambiguous gender—communicating raw sensations and emotions through minimal, essential representations of flesh and body. Themes of sensuality, beauty, and irony come alive in her playful, surreal visual games, where fantastic elements like two-headed or extendable bodies carry intimate meanings.

Her artistic alias is borrowed, with slight alterations, from a character in a James Bond film, reflecting her love of cinema as a great source of inspiration. Professionally, she juggles roles as an illustrator, art director, photographer, and graphic designer, finding that this diversity keeps her work fresh and fuels new ideas. She began her professional career almost a decade ago illustrating for a local lifestyle magazine.

Ussuki's creative process involves intentional limitation. She prefers bold shapes over excessive detail, using universal symbols—like a tear for sadness—to convey emotion directly. Her iconic use of pink originated when she first developed her painting style; she chose it for being fun, pretty, and easy to play with, and has continued with it simply because it brings her joy. She is currently brainstorming ideas for new riso prints and plans to paint on larger canvases and explore sculpture in the future, wanting to see her characters in 3D.