Artist Summary

I'm a 2D/ 3D multimedia artist, I focus on character design and liminality.

I also explore topics such as mental health, Japanese culture and religion.

My characters, called Yōki, act simultaneously as vessels and people of their own. They can include my thoughts at times but ultimately they have their own free will. This is inspired by the rebellious nature of Yoshitomo Nara's characters, a huge influence I carry in my work and one of the reasons I pursue my art practice.

Other related inspirations of mine include Takashi Murakami and Mr. for their statements on high and low art.

My work has also become therapy as I deal with being an ex-cult member, for 17 years I was in a cult called Jehovah's Witnesses, it's left me with scars but I've turned pain into productivity.

Particularly with my character JENOVA, I'm aiming to spread awareness whilst inspiring critical thinking.

Alongside this, I want to promote meditation. With my love for liminal spaces I'd like to create spaces in which people can take a breather and self-reflect.

 

Outside the world of art, I find inspiration in music.

Radiohead, an experimental rock art pop group, have an album titled, 'Kid A Mnesia'.

This album has a digital exhibition that you can walk through as a video game.

You are able to explore 20 years' worth of work through use of abstract environments/ imagery, 

It was with this experience that I begun to think deeply about my practice and what I wanted to achieve.
I've spent time wandering around the exhibition gathering motifs as the music would spur me further.

 

Other musicians that have influenced me are SITCOM. and Men I Trust. It was through their music that I began to become inspired by the concept of liminal space; a lot of their work feels dreamy and abstract.

 

The term, 'Liminal spaces', Liminal itself derives from the Latin word 'Limen' meaning threshold, also used when a person's life or situation is changing. Space then means a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied. Liminal Space in turn, describes a transitory state of being or spaces; A simple example would be a doorway or point of entry into said spaces. Alongside this, another motif would be the absence of people or wildlife.

​With this in mind, in addition to my characters, I create spaces in which people end up feeling either nostalgic or have a sense of unease.

I try to incorporate elements of liminal space into my artworks no matter the medium. 

 

Stylistically these spaces can range from realism to animated shows/ movies and even in video games.

An example of this could be the game, 'Garry's mod' or, games based around a similar theme to Mario 64.

You can follow these examples in popular culture to show you the code.
 

My interest in liminal spaces, I love how they can bring about the effects mentioned above while also encouraging a meditative mindset, provided the right environment. With all the motifs I've created I want to orchestrate worlds for people to lose themselves in, places away from their usual environments and stress.