Living in Tokyo, Japan at a young age blossomed a lifelong interest, fascination and respect for the elegant beauty and ancient richness of Japanese culture, tradition and art. I connected in particular to the idea of Geisha, which literally means, "person practicing the arts". A Japanese representation of feminine power, Geisha are essentially artists, most commonly female, and have been represented in paintings for many years. The concept of Geisha has a strong symbolic power that is full of mystery and intrigue.
Geisha's, one of the oldest professions in Japan, are the custodians of Japanese culture and the embodiment of Japan's devotion to tradition, elegance and etiquette. A woman will dedicate a lifetime to train for this extremely respected profession. Becoming a Geisha is an honour and a sacrifice, spending years of their youth working hard to master several types of traditional Japanese arts to become skilled entertainers in dance, singing, tea ceremony, music, poetry, conversation and more. They are refined, educated, knowledgeable role models that are expected to maintain high standards of sophistication in all aspects of her life and lead by example daily.
I took the opportunity to study the Geisha practice and general Japanese culture in the International Baccalaureate program in 2010 and 2011. No doubt due to the rebellious stage typical of a teenager that I was going through at the time, I particularly enjoyed representing the clash between responsibility, duty and respecting tradition in conflict with our natural human instincts, emotions and desires. I found myself rebelling against the idea that a woman had to possess certain qualities to embody the essence of beauty, when the idea of what is beautiful should have flexibility considering the diversity of women and the many positive qualities that they could possess. I relied on my Western upbringing to interpret what it would feel like to be in a profession that I believed would require repression of emotional needs long term for the sake of dedicated training to embody this symbol. I used Geisha as a subject to express the experience of meeting at the crossroads of duty and passion, two very powerful emotional forces.
Now older and in more harmony with myself, with growth under my belt, I created this new contrast piece. However, this time, instead conveying clashing between duty and passion, I wanted to create a piece with these two sides of the self in harmony. I respect and understand duty better than I did yesterday. I value responsibility and tradition and gain immense satisfaction from patiently training myself in new skills. I now see more clearly that a woman who chooses to be a Geisha, and embody the qualities required of the role, makes that choice from a place of immense passion.
Passion has become redefined. I came to know that it is passion that fuels dedication, hard work, and refines the ability to create something beautiful. Passion and duty can often be regarded as opposites. One makes us feel alive, while the other we do out of obligation. When we separate what we want to do with what we have to do, discord can arise. However, passion and duty live in harmony within us. When we act from duty, we are supporting the greater good, and if we are doing the right thing, it can also make us feel good. In life, there is a balance of the mundane and the exhilarating, and both are essential parts contributing to our work and lives.
On the other panel of the skirt I painted white herons. Like Geisha's, they are beautiful, elegant, admired for their noble and graceful appearance and often portrayed in Japanese art. White herons in Japanese culture are said to symbolize peace. This was fitting to represent the peace I made between in previously perceived clashing concepts of passion and duty. White herons are the birds of happiness, associated with purity. In my personal life, as a result marrying passion and duty, there has been a happy shift from the need to feed only passion to using passion as a motivation to accomplish duties. The use of passion and duty together, with pure intention, creates positive personal power that, as is also symbolic of the white heron, allows you to gain more prosperity and good fortune than if you tried to choose between passion or duty.
This jean skirt was made using brushes and acrylic paint. It is part of a larger collection of custom painted jean clothing. The colours were selected to resemble the Japanese sumi-e style of painting, also known as ink wash painting. The collection itself is an up-cycling project that is intended to reduce the environmental impact of fashion. Did you know that the fashion industry is the second leading greatest freshwater pollution in the world? This clothing is part of a larger collection I have created in reflection of this fact. The textile industry also impacts air and soil pollution. This is often the result of the largely overproducing fashion items. Consequently, in reflection of the Sustainable Development Goals of the Paris Agreement to reduce climate change, the concept was born to rethink, recycle and reuse second-hand clothing. Turning fashionable, unique items and reconsidering the value of an item they may have not considered worth purchasing over brand new clothing. The intention is to create a win-win situation, an environmentally conscious way to reflect your unique personality through your clothes, while also giving the individual something to express themselves with. It is not only a unique statement piece, but also a way to support the fight against climate change through fashion.
10% of the proceeds from the sale of this item will go to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, which celebrates the unique culture, history, and legacy of Japanese Canadians for the benefit of all Canadians.
Photo taken by my parents of Geisha in Japan, 1997
Photo taken by my parents of Geisha in Japan, 1997
Photo of my brother and I wearing our kimonos at a young age in Tokyo, Japan
Recent photo taken in Canada of my brother, family friend and I in our kimonos about to sit down to a sushi dinner, still my favourite food to this day
#artist #artwork #painting #acrylic #geisha #japanese #sumi #heron #harmony #sustainability #sustainablesolutions
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