(November 20, 2023 - March 29, 2024)
Lyles-Porter Hall
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
- 20 Years
2021
Mixed Media on Cardboard with found material
愛 (Ai)- Ai is used in a more general sense when speaking Japanese, roughly translating as holding something near to you or holding great admiration/ appreciation for.
When used in this project's context, this communicates the appreciation of art bringing multiple cultures together, as well as a love of shared self-expression within diversity and culture.
しようがない (shiyouganai) - this roughly translates to the English phrase "it can't be helped" or "it is inevitable."
In this piece, this saying addresses the idea of the inevitability of the creation of art no matter the age, race, sex, or characteristics of the artist. by using this saying, the cynicism behind the typical idea of inevitability cast onto a collaged, chaotic background creates a dichotomy with the positivity associated with artistic expression, almost questioning the viewer of this piece how they weigh artistic expression/ creation versus the societal norm of limiting "loud" or "chaotic" self-expression.
知恵 (chie)- this roughly translates to know one's blessings/ sagacity, reinforcing the central idea of understanding/ unification between cultures through the gift of art and artistic expression.
にじゆう (nijiyuu)- This translates to 20, indicating both my age at the time when I created this and an indication that all art, whether created young or old, can be thorough, intentional, and meaningful.