Kiyomi Iwata response

Kibiso Two, 2009, 10x17x13" Raw silk is dyed, woven and stiffened
Kiyomi Iwata

interesting quote/most interesting aspect:

"Essentially what I do in the studio is play!"

This was very refreshing to hear. I found Kiyomi Iwata's work interesting and engaging to look at. She herself was adorable. Her work wasn't overly conceptual. The materials were not overly worked. There is an intricate simplicity to everything about it. When asked why she made smaller pieces she responded easily, "I am the boss! I am the one who must create the work..." implying that her small stature makes it difficult to create much larger works. She then uses that to create concept. She likes the intimacy of her pieces. And the small pieces speak for the larger ones knowing that she had to make small trial sculptures first to then make them big.

For me it was just great to see interesting work that is slightly conceptual but mostly visual. I felt great hearing her speak about it very plainly about process and technique. It was a breath of fresh air with all of the conceptual artists coming to talk and being in senior portfolio where concept is the emphasis. She talked about how she has to work with gold when its colder and dryer because of the adhesive she uses to apply the gold compound to the metal. The adhesive will become too "wet" and allow the gold to oxidize when she adheres it in the summer. This working for the seasons is an old tradition in Japan. She said it feels poetic to make things seasonally, almost romantic. She did not choose to create work seasonally but since she did she related her work to ancient manufacturing and this rises the meaning of the original work. This concept was created post-creation which is something that few artists admit to.

Three words:

scale, recycle, tradition

Most compelling work:

For me the work with Kibiso is very interesting. Kibiso is the rejected part of the silk threads that are never made into kimonos. It is collected and usually just thrown out but Iwata uses it to great gorgeous sculptures. The work does not look like reclaimed trash (essentially) but a beautiful art piece. I think it speaks about her leaving Japan and moving to America. It is how she can recreate her own life in the West by reclaiming her culture in the East.