The artist that I chose to have a conversation with was Kiyomi Fukui. She is a 27 year old Japanese CSULB grad student. She is a printmaking major and is currently getting her masters. She now lives not too far from CSULB in Long Beach. She currently lives with her partner and he is also a printmaking major, he’s a huge inspiration for her. She plans on making art with her major or teaching classes.
The idea of this show was being all about impermanence. She put up on the walls table covers and coasters that she has used at tea parties. She encourages her guests to rip them a little or spill a little tea. She sometimes modifies them with organic things for example on one she said she spilled carrot juice on it, but other pieces aren’t altered. She had different sizes and shapes, some were rectangles, circles, or the smaller circles you see in the image above. The color of the art was red, brown, and white. All of them had stains on them and some where also ripped. She transmitted to me that it wasn’t just the cloth that was art but rather, the experiences and memories that it was a part of.
She became inspired from a hard loss in her life. Her partner motivates her to become and better artist every day. She began having tea parties shortly after her mother had passed away. It was very difficult for her to overcome that time in her life, so now she lives in the present and lives life to the fullest. I asked her what the meaning of art was and she simply and quickly responded “living”. She has her own small garden that her and her partner take care of, it’s a big part of her life.
I can relate to her because if something difficult happens in my life i try to use it for something positive and not just stay living in the past, you just have to keep moving forward. She wanted to have a tea party with us so she brought tea and cups for us to enjoy while we had our conversation. She wanted everyone to be more relaxed and make it a more enjoyable experience. It looks like she’s a really nice person and cares for others. She showed me that no matter what happens in life time heals all and you have to strive to succeed and achieve your goals. She is a true inspiration.
Nestor Plascencia 