Behind My Artworks

While working on various materials, such as FRP, mortar, metal, and also pottery that I encountered in Kasama, my interest in stainless steel had been growing. This was because of the potential of this material. Even though it is a metal, it can be molded into an organic shape by human hands and shine like a jewel.

I’m thrilled and excited when I encounter a look of stainless steel that is reminiscent of the sparkle of the sea and waves, its transparency, the feeling of diving into the sea, and its sense of inclusiveness.

When I was working with mortar, I experienced an interesting feeling. In mortar modeling process, we make artificial rocks and trees with this material. As the mortar solidifies, we perform various actions that can only be done at that specific time, depending on the hardness of the mortar. Perhaps because, mortar is made up of particles similar to rocks, mortar lumps are becoming more looking like rocks and trees after the actions.

After I started working with stainless steel, I realized there was a similar feeling.
Stainless steel has the potential to turn into the sea.

Since I had this thought, the various faces of stainless steel began to be connected to something about the sea.
I see my sea in stainless steel.

During my production process, I suddenly receive instructions from the stainless steel.

"Inflate more, here."
"Make a little dent, here."
"Next is over there. Hurry up!"

"Yes!"
"Yes!!"
"I got it!"

I make the shape, just following the instructions. I even feel that my work is under the control of stainless steel.

The problem is when stainless steel becomes silent. Its voice stops and so does my hands. I cannot find the cause nor solution of this, and I always struggle. There are cases when, even though I'm struggling, stainless steel doesn't speak to me anymore, and the production completes without being able to hear any other instructions.

I want to be able to figure out and control the cause of this mysterious phenomenon. To master that, I may need to acquire the language of stainless steel.

The production process of stainless steel mainly starts with forging. Then the rest of the processes are partially firing, molding, welding, and further molding and polishing.

98% of the production is harsh. When the process becomes even more challenging, I feel like a frog thrown into the Pacific Ocean.

I can finally see something like a land far beyond the horizon after I keep swimming day after day. This happens when I'm entering the beginning of the final polishing process.

When stainless steel is polished at the final stage, it reflects the surrounding scenery and it gets hard to see the actual shape.

Even though I make the shape with my intentions, the more I polish, the more the shape becomes ambiguous and disappears.

It's a very contradictory action, and I can't imagine the scenery waiting beyond this process. Just to get a glimpse of the view, the frog manages to reach the shore while nearly drowning.

The goal should be to reach the land, but the frog gets bored after a while and jumps into the sea again. Where on earth is she heading? She said that she met a strange seagull in the sea the other day.

I don’t know if the frog is swimming or drifting, but I’ll always be on her side.