Floating Ink

I start a work with intuitive thinking and try new things resonating feelings. I attempt to experiment with new techniques and materials to express Asian and Indigenous worldviews, connect with nature, and explore diasporic identity formation. I am practicing Suminagashi (Japanese ink marbling) to embody the Japanese Zen philosophy and Chinese Taoism, reconnecting to the spiritual world shared with my faraway Japanese Buddhist family.

The concentric circles of ink and water express nature’s cyclical and rhythmical workings and see everything as a whole. The flows of ink and water are uncontrollable, embracing the beauty of imperfection and the impermanence of all things.

Join me to float with nature.

Portraits of Weather

During my artist residency “i made it through the wilderness” at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Mnisiing/Toronto Island in June 2023, I used Suminagashi as an introspection to commune with nature and portrait the weather outdoors every day. While immersing myself in the ever-changing nature of water and the surrounding landscape through this mindful making process, I was breathing in the smoke from wildfires and reflecting on the climate crisis. And I am just the medium for the water to speak.

2023.06.07 Wednesday 06:54pm 17°C 23km/h wind speed Smoky with Air Quality Warning: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.08 Thursday 02:50pm 19°C 6km/h wind speed Drizzle: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.09 Friday 05:35pm 20°C 9km/h wind speed Partly Cloudy After Rain: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.11 Sunday 11:00am 21°C 6km/h wind speed Drizzle: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.12 Monday 10:43am 16°C 14km/h wind speed Rain: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.13 Tuesday 09:47am 16°C 13km/h wind speed Sunny: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.14 Wednesday 06:03pm 19°C 12km/h wind speed Partly Cloudy After Rain: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.15 Thursday 02:53pm 18°C 9km/h wind speed Partly Cloudy: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.16 Friday 09:21am 17°C 10km/h wind speed Mostly Cloudy: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

2023.06.17 Saturday 11:03am 23°C 14km/h wind speed Sunny: 12.8cm x 17.7cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

Trilogy of Wilderness

The Worms: 25.6cm x 35.4cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

The Tree: 25.6cm x 35.4cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023

The Wildfires: 25.6cm x 35.4cm; Ink on rice paper; 2023