5 Objects

写真五個で話は

Most of the items I used are fairly new, however what they represent is much older. For the forest, the items I used were plants I received from family friends when I moved in, and the book is a recent story I picked up back home. It’s a story about two people finding love through nature which is something I relate to from my experiences bonding with my family on our hiking trips. For my animal theme, I used a comic I fell in love with in high school, Monotone Blue. The imagery of animals and humans was something I really grabbed onto, and has stuck with me since. Also, the characters are ones I’ve come to relate to in certain ways. For my family image, I took a picture of my mom’s valentines day card. It’s something I really relate to in simply remembering the people in my life who keep me going. While I was still going for a product photo, I also still wanted to make sure it felt personal, which is why it stands out from the rest. For the image on cooking, the book I used was a recommended book about family and building bonds through the kitchen. The kitchen has always been a place for me to express my care for others and family so it’s a book that touches an aspect of life close to my heart. Also the bananas are a nod to the author’s name Banana Yoshimoto. Finally, the image on Scandinavia is represented by the book series Norwegian Woods. The waffles, candles, and knit gloves bring me back to my time in Norway with my family, going out to catch fish by the salmon farm.

The relevance for appreciation comes first and foremost through what they represent rather than what they necessarily may be. The book Kotonoha no Niwa/ Garden of Words is a story that resonates with me deeply in how I grew up around nature with my parents for guidance along the way, similar to the protagonist. However Norwegian woods relates to Scandinavia in name alone, considering it’s a story about loss and sexuality set in Tokyo. Still, the images tell stories of my past and my connection to my family in Norway and all the trips we took there. There are far too many stories to tell there than I have time to write. Monotone Blue as a representation of my appreciation for animals and anthropomorphism marks many events in my life each time I revisit it. First was falling in love with the image of human animals, then there was relating to Aoi’s past which founded his hesitancy to trust and build relationships, and then there’s now where I’m learning to have a voice and sort out the kind of artist I want to be. Now I want to make art something more than a choice. In the kitchen image, there is a very deep personal connection I have with not only what it represents, but also the story it tells. Kitchen tells the story of a woman returning home after the loss of her grandmother, proceeding to tell the story of her moving through life and connecting to the people around her through the kitchen. It’s probably a common experience, connecting through the kitchen and food, but it is one that I find deeply personal and engaging. For my relationship with my parents, finally, the card was a simple gesture, but one that tells the story of the last 24 years of my life. The love and care I have been so fortunate to receive is incredible, and sets the heart of every single thing I’ve done

These images have served my growth in mostly ways I don’t actually know yet. While I know the things that are important to me, they have yet to actually shape my work. To be frank, the way I have worked has been completely reversed from the way most of my peers seem to have navigated art. Instead of being guided by passion I have been taken by praise from the very beginning. Art was a product to create praise and money, and not a labor of love. There has hardly been much personal emphasis, and looking back on my old work there’s always a certain deadness to it. All of it is work without soul or means to an end, to praise or profit, to finish the assignment. Unfortunately, this section is going to be short as I just don’t have the experience exploring the things I think I love (to be honest I don’t even know how important these are to my work) without the shame I’ve needlessly added to destroy art as any sort of personal affair. I only hope this will suffice to explain where I am and that this part is the experience I’ve yet to have.