Statement
My artistic practice is multidisciplinary, employing the media that best communicates the concept and image. My ideas often start with the questions and observations I have of society, and my identity crisis as a bi-cultural millennial who is suspended between the U.S. and Japan, constantly going back and forth between clarity and confusion. Through research, these ideas develop into works that challenge normalized notions of gender, culture, and power structures seen in both global and culturally specific contexts.
Using satire and humor, I often incorporate cultural references and/or my body so the work speaks immediately and personally to both the intellect and emotion of the viewer. Satire and humor make the work accessible, yet provocative, and also reveal the hidden power dynamics in society that are often subliminally transmitted in these ubiquitous images and references.
The notion of “the personal is political” has been very evident to me throughout my life, and I translate that message in my work by using imagery of myself or references to my body to signify that while my experiences and observations are the starting point of the concept, it speaks about a larger issue. Since my work is based on social issues and personal history, cultural references and imagery are important in contextualizing my work, which draws inspiration from three vastly different contexts: my growing up in the U.S. and Japan (the “West” and “East”), and my current life immersed in Latin American culture in my new indefinite home, Ecuador.