Voice
2017
H7' W10' D10'
Material: Old window frame, wood
Venue: Anderson gallery Richmond, VA, Cohen gallery in GoggleWorks Art Center Reading, PA, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts Auburn, AL
Images courtesy of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University
Concept: I’ve focused my attention on the realities of Japanese women’s place in Japan, and come to realize many things. “We” have always done all of the housework, kept the house clean and the family healthy. Why is this “unpaid” job still limited almost exclusively to women? What I can say about feminism as a Japanese woman living in the United States? Since moving to the United States three years ago I have faced many problems due to people’s preconceptions about Japanese women. The worst of these misconceptions generally come from American men, who believe that Japanese women are "easy", submissive, innately passive, and quiet.
As a response to these generalizations, I created a complex glass house to perform inside. Shape of house and windows are constructed in a distorted manner to reflect the misunderstanding between people. I will perform inside as a house wife and sometimes draw and write messages to the viewers who are directly front of me. Through this performance, I am expressing my feelings of loneliness, irritation, and my struggle to survive. Through my fleeting “messages” I create for the viewer, I hope to connect more intimately with people in hopes overcoming invisible barriers and go beyond our differences.
