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Artist Statement
My artistic explorations are inspired by childhood nostalgia that sparks memories of 1970s post-war Tokyo, where Western influence suddenly inundated the rapid economic growth of an otherwise traditional culture. Traditional Japanese aesthetic emphasizes modesty and simplicity, which originates from the Shinto and Buddhist Zen teachings, philosophies based on the premise that every human experience is substantial despite entering the world from nothingness and returning to nothingness. The two contradictory ideologies began intermingling in the everyday mundane of life in Tokyo; the modest traditional immaterial belief from the past was deluged by an influx of materialism and consumerism that revitalized a collective sense of joy, hope, and optimism for the future. As I observed this voyage of cultural adaptation and growth of my country, it overlapped with my own coming-of-age, where I also adopted a sense of adoration for the Western motifs that sprinkled my childhood memories. Today, I explore these juxtapositions by infusing Western toyetic sentiments into a tactile artistic language that overlays conceptual reflections of Eastern values, such as the sublime aging process that provides perspective to the passage of time. My artistic process aims to reveal my intrinsic traditional belief formed through the life of a migrant Japanese American that was suppressed by an overbearing dominant culture.
Solo/Small Group Exhibitions (Selection)
06/2025 Meyer Gallery, Park City, UT (Solo)
2024 This is How I Aged 108, Eric Fischl Art Gallery, Phoenix, AZ (Solo)
2024 Rhizomatic Interventions, Yun Gee Park Gallery, AZ (Three Person Show)
2022 TRINKETS, Gebert Contemporary, Arizona (Solo)
G2 Gallery, Santa Fe (Two Person Show)
2018 Between Shapes, Gebert Contemporary, AZ (Solo)
2017 Diamond Needle, Meyer Gallery, Park City, UT (Solo)
2015 Patched, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, AZ (Solo)
2014 Patched, Gebert Contemporary, AZ (Solo)
Group Exhibitions (Selection)
2025
This Just In, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
2024
NOMAD III/Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
Chaos Theory, Phoenix, AZ, William Barnhart Studio
2023
NOMAD/Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
Diversity in the Desert, Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix AZ
LUMINOUS, i.d.e.a. Museum, Mesa, AZ
CHAIRZ, Zischke Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
HEAR ME. SEE ME, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ
VISUAL SYNTAX, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ
44th Contemporary Crafts, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ
2022
Chaos Theory, Phoenix, AZ
ReFresh XI, Long View Gallery, Washington D.C.
SMOCA Collection, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2021
Chaos Theory, Phoenix, AZ
2020
This Universe is You, Radius Gallery, MT, Chaos Theory, Phoenix, AZ
2019
TECHstyle Art, San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, CA
Awards/ Residencies:
2023 Opportunity Grant, Arizona Commission of the Arts
2023 18th Street Artist Residency, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Tempe Center for the Arts Residency, Tempe AZ
2016 Digital Fabrication Residency, Maryland
2014 Vermont Studio Center Residency, Vermont
Museum and Corporate Collection:
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Montana Museum of Art and Culture, Phoenix Airport Museum, Shemer Art Center and Museum, Kraft Food, McDonald's, Arizona Country Club, Sheraton Hotel, Vallone Design, Wiseman & Gale Interiors, Ursula & Stephen Gebert (Gebert Contemporary), Visa, Brand Outlook, Virginia Children's Hospital, Amkor, Stella Hotel, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Delta AirLine (Haneda International Airport, JFK International Airport, Phoenix International Airport, LAX International Airport, Fort Lauderdale ), Kaiser Permanente, The University of Nebraska Foundation
Public Art Project:
Chandler Center for the Arts lobby wall project, Chandler AZ 2023
INFLUX in Scottsdale, AZ 2015
Publication:
Phoenix New Times/by Kerry Lengel
Java/by Amy Young
Visual Art Source /by Deborah Ross
Luxe. Interior + Design /by Angela Matano
New American Paintings/ Issue #132
Yabyum /by Nicole Royse
The Los Angeles Press Journal, Vol 6, Canvas Revel
