Under the Roof
18’7” x 33’*” x 24’10”
Steel, ceramic
2019
2019 Open Studio Fellow
Artist Statement
This series of sculpture focuses on fostering a dialogue about the complicated and contradictory desires to unify and divide the cultural perspectives and characteristics among China, Japan, and Korea.
By constructing the corbels of roofs from these countries, I use these segments under the woodwork’s structure out of steel to make a new form of corbel. This new form unifies all three counties but also keeps these pieces separate and attached to the pillar, which symbolizes that we are all under the same roof of culture while still promoting their differences along with their nationalities.
This sculpture explores the commonalities and divisional perspectives among the three countries to challenge an ambivalence among the countries.
Manami Ishimura
https://www.manamiishimura.com/
Born: Tokyo, Japan, 1987
Resides: Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Education
MFA, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, 2018
BFA, Tama Art University, 2012
2019 Women’s History Month Blog Post Responses
1. Can you tell us a bit about your artistic practice? Any past projects that you are particularly proud of that have helped navigate your career?
The current exhibited projects present an appreciation for natural circulation emerging in everyday life reflecting its ephemeral beauty.
Shadow of Lives, fusing hair between pieces of glass, burns hair to ash presenting an individual’s pure existence along with their happy memories. In 2016, I began to collect a lock of hair from people that represents their personality, their DNA, and culture. I heat the hair sandwiched between two pieces of microscope slide glass to fuse the hair and trap the pattern of ash from the hair as the pure essence of life. The objects are absent of people’s appearance. The trapped ash and written memories are juxtaposed to present a beautiful history and entity without prejudice.
My art projects involve people through the perspective of the aesthetics to interact with each other in order to generate empathetic experience among me and the people in the United States.
2. I noticed that you’ve been to the park in the past; can you speak to that experience a little?
I went to Franconia Park in the fall in 2017 as an assistant of Leticia Bajuyo. I helped her with the metal public art out of fences. That was the first time to deal with a public (outside) art for me. I appreciated the park’s hospitality. The foods are always awesome and people care about healthy ingredient and are very welcome to vegetarian and vegan.
3. Why did you want to become an artist or what made you want to become an artist?
My mother graduated from an art university, my great grand parents were forges, and my grand parents run an ironworks to create metal pieces for a car machine. The circumstance made me aware of creativity by hands and I like thinking as philosopher. When I saw Duchamp’s works as a high school student, I began to consider making art at least to want to study more.
4. What keeps you motivated in the studio?
Obligation and responsibility that I started to be an artist. I just do not give up what I began.
5. What other artists who identify as women influence your artistic practice?
Kiki Smith. I like her sense and aesthetic. Her theme is death but her works are so delicate and strong.
6. Any advice for aspiring artists who identify as women out there?
I think feminism ended because women got equalized and rights or at least will end very soon. Women lose a reason to complain just because of being women. Also feminist’s work will not be good just because you are a woman. Now, please seek your aesthetic and identity as yourself.
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