Artist Statement

My work explores the meaning of (im)perfection by blurring the boundaries between linear and nonlinear, geometric and organic forms. Having spent my formative years in Japan, where precision and conformity are often celebrated, I’ve always been fascinated by imperfection and nuance. Why are we so drawn to perfection - in beauty, academics, and society - when it is imperfection that makes each of us unique? 

Clay feels like a particularly fitting medium for exploring this theme. I took a course in sculpture as an elective in art school, but at the time I didn’t appreciate clay’s inherent imperfection. In fact, I disliked it because it was difficult to control. Later, during my training in art therapy, I was taught to avoid using clay with certain populations because it was considered “regressive.” Unlike graphite or fabric, clay resists precision and control.

When I returned to clay in 2022, I was finally ready to embrace those very qualities. My pull toward perfection is something I experience daily, perhaps shaped by my personality, where I grew up, or my need for control. Whatever its source, I now accept it as part of who I am. It is within this tension between control and release that the nuance in my work emerges.