​Title: カリーKARII, 縁起が良い、A Good Omen

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      My work explores the concepts of cultural transmutations and agency. Inspired by my own experiences this body of work also addresses the amplification of a positive future. I use multi-media installations to reconstruct the fragments of Okinawan culture, memories, and history into a new and empowered identity. I aim to create a secret space where the past and present are intertwined and form a new positive path to celebrate the resilience of a proud people and culture.

      I use a combination of traditional art forms and modern technology, such as paintings or sculptures with digital animation and three-dimensional printed objects. This current work constructs a space where two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds merge, past and present meet, and is intended to reflect my perception of an entirely new existence. The color and design of Okinawan traditional objects such as Bingata fabric permeate the multi-media work, as does the Shi-sa deity, ruins of a castle, and traditional glass fishing floats. Bingata and Shi-sa signify the Okinawan survival of the Japanese regulations and the American occupation, and the shrine and floats represent the difficult reminiscence of the tragic memory of my family. As those sources establish and reaffirm my Okinawan identity, I am weaving the past and present to repair the missing historical links of my culture and language simultaneously while also celebrating the continuous survival both today and tomorrow.