Ace Hotel Kyoto, December 2021

For their last solo artist show of the year, the Ace Hotel Kyoto invited me to come and show 10 original art pieces at the end of 2021. Mainly working as a digital artist, I took this as an opportunity to not only create at a much larger scale than I’m used to, but to also experiment with new mediums like rhinestones and mirrors. ✨ It was my first big art show in Japan, and I am so grateful for the experience.

Reconnecting with 私の Roots

Right after I moved to Japan in the fall of 2018, I had the amazing opportunity to show my artwork at my favorite izakaya, Lanterne. For this show, I focused on a lot of the first feelings I experienced while moving to Japan as a Japanese American. The pieces I created showcased a mix of English and the little Japanese I knew – written over images taken on previous trips taken in 2015 and 2018. 🌱

四世・五世

After leaving NYC, I spent some time back in Hawaii with my family to prepare for my big move to Japan. During this time, I experienced a lot of anxious moments regarding my identity, life trajectory, and just felt like my life was a rollercoaster of emotions. As a result, I created a lot of artwork that reflected these feelings and was also in a place where I really wanted to find more ways to connect with the creative community in Hawaii since I had been away for so many years.

So in September 2018, I collaborated with my good friend from childhood, Marika McHugh (who also happens to be Japanese American), and we put together a small weekend show at Aupuni Space in Kaka'ako. On opening night, many of our friends and family came down to show their support, and it was such a nice way to connect with loved ones. 💖

Gosei

It was such a HUGE honor to have my first solo art show at Tictail Market in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 🗽 At a period of transition (I was preparing for a move to Japan), I created three original pieces for this show that are all centered around Japanese idioms/sayings.

Being such a big fan of Tictail and the service they provided, it was my dream to show some artwork at their retail store before they permanently closed in 2018. This was also around the time I was preparing to leave my life behind in NYC, so it also was a nice way to say a sweet goodbye to the city I called home for three years.