Nikako
Kanamoto

I was born in Japan and raised in Thailand.  I am currently residing in the United States. My work establishes an ambiguous position of my personal identity through questioning heritage, history, and humanity. Absorbing influences from nature and past history, such as family myths, rituals and spiritual beliefs, my work carries iconography like stupas, lotus, and spirit houses. Using old and new craft customs, I work with a variety of materials as a way to understand and blend hierarchy, chronology, and meaning into creating cultural hybridities. Clay remains my predominant material; it embraces its primal origin, and at the same time, the ability to transform. I carve experiences, for both myself and the viewer, that challenge the timeless spiritual dimensions and boundaries.