EFA STUDIO PROGRAM: Member Artists

Tamiko Kawata 

Artist's Website
Inside the Artist’s Studio Documentary

It happened to be......

I was born female
I was born in Kobe Japan, 1936
I grew up in Tokyo from 5 years old

I choose.....
to become an artist
to live in New York City in 1962
to become American citizen in 2004

Now I am an “American, born Japan”.
I am a human being who lives on the earth with all the people on the earth.

My artworks are my visual American diary through observation of new life.
Through my artwork, I am searching for another vision and another way of thinking for my life in the expressive space between installation works, sculptures and wall works.
I like to use overlooked objects from our daily life as my media. Discarded materials are important to me not only for environmental issues but also to reflect our life. My choice of materials and interpretation are influenced by the differences that I experience between life in America and in Japan, where I grew up. I often use repetition and aim to create energy, and chaos, within quiet stillness.

I work on large and small scales in belief of their potential for intimacy.
Different culture I faced when I took my first step on this continent has left me a strong impression in many ways and it is not overstated to say that most of my work is related to the impression I had in early days, especially the plentiful and wasteful lifestyle of America.

2023
Tamiko Kawata