Artist Statement

Love. It includes relationship with people, nature, and things that exist. I grew up in a traditional family where they show love through something different than saying, “ I love you.” After moving here to the United States, my perspectives on love changed. One of my biggest culture shock was how people show love by directly voicing it. I grew up thinking that saying it out loud meant it lost its meaning. However, after living here for many years, the people surrounding me made me realize the meaning of loving someone. Both cultures have beauty in the art of loving. The artworks showcase those differences but also question what love is and our relation to loving people and being loved.

My artwork depicts Japanese culture through an Americanized lens. In my artistic practice, I challenge myself to use Japanese and English texts to deliver the message and reflect on their own love experiences. What is beautiful about it is that it leads the audience to feel the shapes of the language that most English speakers don’t know and draws attention to the narratives of the art I am creating. I am intrigued by artwork that allows the audience to reflect on their feelings and experiences at the same point in their lifetime.

Japanese papermaking is essential for me. Through processing fibers, cooking, beating, and forming every sheet of paper, I have challenged myself to push the limit of paper as a material and as art in itself. In addition, I encourage the audience to touch and feel the paper fibers and experience love in their moment of interaction with the artwork.