Artist Bio:
I am a Japanese American sculpture artist based in Orlando, Florida. I am currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts, Emerging Media and Studio Art program at the University of Central Florida, and I am also a graduate teaching assistant pursuing to become a professor. My work is predominantly sculptural, but I enjoy getting involved in any creative process. I am currently working on a thesis sculptural body of work that explores themes of my personal past and the past of my family members and how those themes directly relate to my artistic journey, I explore my heritage as a Japanese American with the purpose to use my unique artistic voice to understand and consider what it means to be the result of war, hardship, love, acceptance, and the healing journey of both sides of my family through imagery alluding to theological aesthetics and surrealistic foodscapes while utilizing various methods such as sculpting, casting, and assembling with multiple mediums. While exploring my intersecting cultures, I enjoy taking inspiration from my travels. I use those real-life experiences to influence and guide my work and my research process.
Artist Statement:
While exploring family folklore, I focus on a representational and surrealistic approach to explore themes that are difficult and layered subjects like war, hardship, love, acceptance, and healing. As a Japanese American, my purpose with my work is to explore the healing journey both sides of my family have experienced and what it means to be the result of those experiences. I also depict my religious upbringing into my work through the imagery of theological aesthetics. I investigate and convey this through various mediums while utilizing them sculpturally. I aim to reevaluate my heritage and create a reflective collection of work that tells a story that viewers will find reflective about the past and how to move forward with the purpose to heal but to never forget to learn from what the past can teach us to create a more conscious and peaceful future. I will explore the process of transforming trauma into a healing process and the influences it has on my personal identity as an artist.
