Artist: Kiyomi Fukui
Exhibition: Tea at 3307
Media: ‘Gampi’ Paper and Assorted Herbal Teas
Gallery: Zoom/Artist Website
Website: http://www.kiyomifukui.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiyomimiz/
This week, we got the privilege to speak with Kiyomi Fukui. The Japanese-American artist received her MFA in Printmaking from California State University Long Beach and her BFA in Graphic Design from La Sierra University. Fukui is well versed in the art world and has the experience to show for it.
Fukui’s work is very interesting to me. One specific piece of her work that intrigues me is her Tea at 3307 exhibition. By the end of the sessions, the tea papers would be splashed and blotted with vibrant colors. With no rhyme or reason, the mellow pinks, cool blues, and striking yellows intertwine to create unique shapes and patterns on the “Gampi”paper. It is as though I can reach out feel the damp wrinkles of the paper on my fingertips just by looking at her photographs. I like that it is a medium that is sizable enough to see and interact with, yet is not too big or too small that it may take away from the intimacy of the piece.
Fukui mentioned that while she encouraged participants to be messy with the tea making process, it was not about the spilling, patterns, or colors; but about the conversations, moments, stories, and confessions that participants experience while sipping around the Gampi paper. Fukui intended for the participants to simply enjoy each other’s company and anything that may come from it. I thought this idea was fascinating. The tea stained gampi paper, regardless of its appearance, serves as a tangible symbol of the precious human interaction the participants shared with one another.
I particularly liked this project because I value human interpersonal interaction. I think that we have so much to learn from people and their experiences. Nothing amounts to quality face to face time with someone you share a strong bond with a bond with. Compare this to time spent between two lovers 3000 miles away on a little iPhone screen; it is never as warm and satisfying than physical presence and touch. This does not only apply to intimate relationships. We are not the same communicators behind our screens as we are in face to face interaction. If this project was held with your own tea, at your own desk, talking to strangers through your computer screen, the experience would be far different. This would not create the same culture that Tea at 3307 did, let alone leave us with a beautifully colored gampi paper. I would have loved to participate in this myself, being that I enjoy tea and learning about what makes people who they are.
Dimitri Petrakis 