Maiko Sakurai Karner was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Japanese mother and Austrian father. In her family where art was an omni-present issue, Maiko soon discovered art&design as her true calling and approach.
 
Maiko is Japanese and translates as little  dancer (=kleine tänzerin,in German). These in-fluences, dance and movement, are easily vi-sible in her art and designs, which are full of playful and often moveable details. Versatile creations, expressing emotions. kleine tänzerin  represents the artist's origin, as it points out Maikos Eurasian descent, her Japanese and Austrian background makes 'kleine tänzerin' stand out.
 
Another meaning of “Maiko” is “young Geisha”, which can be translated as “artist”. Geishas were considered as the incarnation of Japanese art forms. It only seems natural that music, dance, literature, and especially fine arts are among her sources of inspiration and also guide her to challenge herself, to blur the lines between different art forms