Artist: Kiyomi Fukui
Exhibition: Green Thumb Project
Media: Paper
Gallery: Max L. Gatov Gallery, Long Beach, CA
Website: http://www.kiyomifukui.com/
Kiyomi Fukui is a Japanese american artist residing in Long Beach CA. She graduated from both California State University Long Beach and La Sierra University reviving a MFA in print making and a BFA in graphic design respectively. Fukui’s pursuit of art has lead her to the idea of impermanence and fragility and through her art she explores these ideas. Change is frighting maybe even inherently so. However, in spite of this Fukui contests that through embracing change and the fluidity of life one can discover beauty and peace that would otherwise be unattainable if shackled by fear.
The green thumb project is difficult to describe in the classical sense of art because its a living piece. Any piece of this work starts out as in a cast of a thumb print and is planted and nurtured into a plant over time. The mold itself is very detailed and has many details of the thumb even down to the thumb nail itself. Once prepared the thumbprint is then filled with a seed as well as dirt and fertilizer and finally planted and left to grow. The plants themselves don’t look to be pruned or trimmed into any form and left to grow naturally. The exhibit as a hole puts emphasis on nature with the extensive use of unfinished or clear finished wooden tables and planters.
The green thumb project is both a memento for Fukui’s mother, as well as being a metaphor for life in its own right. Through the thumb print of the passed new life grows. The idea at work is growth and renewal as well as a nod to the past. The plants core is rooted in something lost and yet the plant grows beyond its shell to thrive and survive with time. As it grows the thumb print will eventually fade into the soil but the plant will always have a bit of the initial thumbprint from when it was fragile and new.
I very much enjoyed reading writing and experiencing Fukui’s art. I think the thumb print and the plant is a beautiful analogy for life in general and the story behind the thumb print makes the entire exhibit that much more touching. The idea that the past will help you grow, but won’t be coming with you is a incredibly complicated and important aspect of life. The fact that at nineteen I’m at a point in my life were the first chapter of my life recently closed and young adulthood is in full swing makes this exhibit resonate more with the experiences I’ve already grappled with.
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