Cultural identity does not always belong to the bearer of a tradition but often to its contemporary interpreter—and that interpretation, however eloquently authentic, reflects the prevailing values of its time.
In the essay We Do Not Work Alone: The Thoughts of Kanjiro Kawai by Yoshiko Uchida, the philosophy of Kanjiro Kawai—the famed potter and co-founder of the Mingei movement—is thoughtfully articulated. Kawai emphasizes the importance of recognizing art as the cumulative expression of tradition, shaped by countless humble and ordinary acts.
Working within the visual arts, my practice activates recognizable cultural signifiers to examine how images and objects function as systems of communication—how we categorize, appropriate, and assign meaning within a particular historical moment.
As the child of immigrant parents and a cultural transplant, my self-identification has been—and continues to be—bookended by immediate categorizations of race, gender, language, and origin. In my work, I draw a parallel between this internal negotiation of identity and the external expectations imposed upon it. Visual codes of cultural reference can be precise and acute. Through my practice, I ask: how does language—both visual and spoken—evolve in a world where multiple cultural identities coexist? How do these differing modes of communication find common ground?
In my current practice, I excavate traditional techniques in art and craft to create contemporary works. Each craft tradition is shaped by the economic, geo-socio-political, and cultural conditions of its time. Some traditions disappear or are absorbed into industry; others endure. Among those that survive, I observe an intangible yet intrinsically universal value within the practice itself—a value that extends beyond the heritage of the finished object. By adapting processes historically identified as “craft,” I seek to communicate through a more universally legible visual language.
With the hindsight of history, and in an era of what Thomas Friedman described as the “flattening of the world,” my practice aims not only to interpret the formation of cultural ideation but also to reflect a collective yearning: to reconnect with our immediate surroundings and daily rituals beyond those ideations.
At its core, my work is about adaptability and about forging meaningful connections with others—connections that move beyond, and alongside, cultural identity.