“Talk Back: A Response to Influence” - Message from the Artist

All things television percolated through my mind at a very young age effecting aspects of my social development and understanding of the world. I remember when everyone in my 5th grade class would come in the morning gushing about American Idol - so much that my teacher held “Classroom Idol” during our lunch time. The notion of talent and worth was and still is deeply rooted in television and all aspects of American entertainment. Over time I would realize the discourse of media’s relentless power, clutching on to our subconscious - creating superficial hopes and dreams. Television became a tool to consider consumers as its primary audience and not only that but it became an “information machine”. As a Japanese-American, television only provided a template for success using the lexicons from the hegemonic agenda of capitalism and whiteness. Because of the countless hours spent giving my undivided attention to the rich and famous, it became a vital source of understanding a commercialized, whitewashed social construct. I learned that because I was asian I was meant to be good at math, obedient, exotic, and be the first to die in a horror movie. What entertainment failed to realize, was that I was none of these and if I had my reckoning, I would make producers bow their heads in shame. And it is not just me who has been squandered by this agenda, it has been bestowed upon the audience, musicians, actors, and models alike. This is a form of authority that I confront and question in my “Talk Back: A Response to Influence” series. 

How do we respond to influence?

How do we respond to pop-culture?

How do we observe and consider representation within those influences?

How can we customize a product to make it more honest about representation?

Considering the media and product advertisement as something that is projected at us, how can we respond to something that isn't listening?

If we could go back in time knowing what we know now, how would we reassess influence?

Karaoke sessions give participants a chance to vocalize lyrics of selected popular songs to my video works. The found footage is contrasted with the songs for satirical purposes - mocking and questioning pop culture. Video distortion, which can only be activated by voice, fills the vacant space between the viewers and media and advocates dialogue between the two. At times lyrics have altered meanings, forcing participants and viewers to have new conversations about music and media. 

Installations including tufted, woven, and sown works use soft materials to understand the consequences of hard lessons relating to mental health, relationships, and sexuality. Found objects which have been dispersed embody personalities and preferences that are indefinitely in question; objects question the very idea of objecthood itself. These works exist in kindergarten, adolescent, and adult environments, in order to “talk back” to a chronological timeline of influence. 

Gang jackets are reminiscent of the 90’s, punk, and Japanese gangs (Yakuza, Bōsōzoku, and Sukeban) The backs of each jacket don the “outer shell” of former idols - idols whose identities have been construed to appease the capitalist agenda despite the drastic consequences to their well-being. We are members of the fictional gang known as the “Loud Speakers”. Our oppositional gaze is our message to the world of entertainment.