Moe Wakai
Artist Statement:
I explore and extrovert through photography, while introverting and internalizing through textiles. I express myself through these different mediums, each with its own connotations. With my camera, I document my relationship with the world, capturing the conversations between me, my subject, and my lens. Through textiles, I find solace in meticulous crafting, rumination, and the simple act of making.
My work seeks to create a sense of ease and introspection, drawing inspiration from unexpected pairings that bring harmony to seemingly contradicting elements. I strive to make people feel at ease and provide moments of introspection, creating art that is both pretty and thought-provoking. I want my work to invite questions and self-reflection, like the feeling of secretly touching art in a gallery. The satisfaction tinged with guilt, and the calm introspection that follows, brings about a sweet existentialism.
Bio:
Moe Wakai is a fiber and textile-based artist, focusing on dysfunctional weavings with embellishments, such as embroidery and stitching. Her works explore the idea of relationships and their development throughout time. Wakai also studies photography. Similar to her fiber works, she looks deeper into relationships with a series of photographs that document relationships through time. She graduated the School of the Art Institute of Chicago BFA in May of 2021.
