Marina Aoki

I am interested in exploring the gaze and identity of people across cultures and my artworks search for my own position and identity. Examining personal experience, I extend them to elements common to more people, reflecting them in the work. The artworks exhibited reconsider the issues in the world surrounding Asian, Japanese, and women.

Bell Hook’s statement, “Eating The Other”, describes the exploitation of black culture in Western societies where ethnicity becomes a “spice”. What does the word “spice” also say to Asians? The paintings explore Asian fetishism, the gaze and the latent cliché from my identity, position and perspective as an Asian, Japanese woman. Through the lens of an Asian/Japanese woman, this project considers the position of people in the world. Using painting, my aesthetics question the standpoint of this position.

Instagram @marina_amam