KUUKI: the things we take for granted but cannot live without
Following a six-month residency at the Bath Artists' Studios, I independently curated a group exhibition. I began developing and refining the concept of my practice and made the decision to invite artists in the UK to contribute work responding to the theme of the environment and encouraging education and awareness through art.
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In Japanese kuuki 空気 means air or atmosphere and is used colloquially in phrases such as kuuki o yomu which literally means ‘read the air,’ but can be interpreted as understanding without explicit information or the unspoken mood or feelings, or the air or atmosphere of a situation, relationship or interaction.
Kuuki is also used to refer to “the things we take for granted, but cannot live without.”
As the climate change movement gathers pace, artists based in the UK are joining forces by responding using their art as a platform for debate and collective awareness regarding environmental concerns. From photography that focuses on the complete disregard for the environment by individuals to sculpture that represents a changing landscape due to climate change, each response is an important statement on the desperate need for social change.
The use of contemporary art provides an opportunity to reflect on contemporary society and the issues relevant to ourselves, and the world around us.
As more and more artists begin to understand and engage with these issues that effect us all, this group collaboration seemed like a positive way to highlight the importance of this subject and begin a visual communication.
Kuuki aims to bring together artists and audience members to further understand climate change and pollution, and create a dialogue to discuss local and global environmental situations. It’s about providing a platform to allow people to engage in conversations, and through art, workshops and a film screening, the exhibition will explore ways of creating a positive change to reduce the harsh impact that has been made.
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My own work for this exhibition illustrates the visibility and invisibility of air pollution and the toxic particles the public unknowingly breathe in. While the air appears clear in the UK in comparison to the images of the smog-filled cities of China, we are still exposed to harmful levels of pollution.
Through ink drawings and mixed-media textiles pieces, my work shows a visual representation of things that we can’t see but are still very present. The series’ title, Kuuki, draws attention to the public’s unawareness of the serious issue of pollution and its affects on both a local and global scale; the irony of the air and the atmosphere, which keeps us alive, also killing us.
The intricately drawn and sewn pieces aim to draw attention to details; seeing the unseen. The contrast between the white on black pieces working in cohesion with the black on black, letting the viewer ponder over the importance of what is visible and, physically, almost invisible. Like a riddle, my work is about the uncomfortable balance of air pollution; what cannot be seen by eye in the present moment, but will be starkly visible in the future.