- Artist: Kiyomi Fukuji
- Website: http://www.kiyomifukui.com/
- Instagram: @kiyomimiz
- Email: fukui.kiyomi@gmail.com
Kiyomi Fukuji is a Japanese-American artist living in Long Beach, California. She got her MFA in Printmaking at Long Beach State University, as well as a BFA in Graphic Design at La Sierra University. Her projects include: All is Well, Reminiscing Remnants, The Green Thumb Project, Tea at 3307, Rise Above, Apologetic Garden, and Conversation on Conflict. In addition she has some untitled works and prints.
This blog post will go over Tea at 3307, Rise Above, and one of Fukuji’s favorite pieces.
Tea at 3307, 2016
Tea at 3307 took place at https://3307wwashingtonblvd.com/ with Amanda Katz and other participants. Guests chose tea leaves when entering that created different tea colors. From there, they had just had a good time while staining tea mats, which were made from gampi paper.
Rise Above
Rise Above invited complete strangers to sit together and talk about private experiences. Through this they rise above their traumas, hence the name of the project Rise Above. Participants were seated at one table in a room decorated with paper washed with pink color and shared drinks.
I Was There, 2011
I Was There is one of Fukui’s favorite pieces. One of the cats in the home she shares with her roommate killed a bird and brought it as a gift. The bird’s injuries were too grave for any hope for survival. Fukui saw this and decided to sketch the bird over and over, watching it. She wanted to let the bird know it wasn’t alone. From these sketches, she made in progress prints of her stamp to make sure everything looked good. Fukui took these prints and made it into a book. In a way, it symbolizes the bird’s gradual death.
Kiyomi Fukui
Kiyomi Fukui
Overall, the interview with Fukui was very enlightening. When she talked about how it felt like she could never understand her father, I related very much. Not necessarily with my father, but my mother. I wondered if I could ever come to an understanding just as Fukui did. Her stained tea mat art and prints are my favorite works from her. I admire people who can do prints very well, since I did quite bad back in high school.
-Rosa Eap 🙂
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