When asked what my first language is, because of my international and multicultural upbringing, I always respond: "Art."
Unlike words, or even body language, Art has provided me with the most consistent form of communication across the many cultures that have been in my life. My work oscillates between digital media focused on photography and graphic design, and traditional mediums such as painting and paper collage. Through the lens of the camera, I navigate and interact with my surroundings. With a pencil and paper, I digest my experiences, and on the computer, I find clarity in my voice, experimenting freely without caution.
While the mediums vary, my approach to art-making remains consistent and informed by my predominantly western education and my Japanese upbringing. My color palette is inspired by western artists such as Monet, but I am drawn to the contrast of reduced form, ornamental patterns, and flattened perspectives following Japanese tradition. Hasegawa Tohaku’s iconic 16th-century twin screens of the pine trees have also inspired me through its combination of delicate lines and the vast amount of ma, the empty space that allows for breath in a composition. Enabling ma is an approach that dominates many of my works.
The boundaries of art and design are also blurred for me. In Japan, the Fine Arts and Applied Arts coexist equally, and interdependently at times, but certainly not in a hierarchy. This becomes quite understandable when you are immersed in its culture of aesthetics and craft; the simplest of objects, even a teacup can become a source of inspiration along with its practical function. Likewise, I deeply respect the ideology of the Bauhaus Movement, which argues that art, through design, can touch and improve the quality of every life.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Japanese from Vassar College, and a “Diplom” (Masters in Fine Arts equivalent) in Photography under the tutelage of Dieter Rehm from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany.
My work has been internationally exhibited in America, Germany and Japan including PhotoKina, Michael Schneider Gallery, Kunstkabinett Stefan Moll, Maejima Art Center, Hokkaido University, and the Queens Museum of Art. I have been the recipient of the Akademie der Kuenste Travel Fellowship, Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and grants from the Brooklyn Council of Arts and The Puffin Foundation.
In addition, I am dedicated to art education and working with young people to promote an appreciation and understanding of all arts and design.
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