Personal Statement: My art integrates social and political discourse into everyday practice. Rigorous research and intellectual inquiry are fundamental to all my work. I explore dialectic approaches to stark contradictions: the quotidian and the exalted, the sacred and profane, “high” art and “low” art, perfection and flaw. I am influenced by minimalism, repetition and ritual, experimental chance processes and profound examinations of “failure.” Having grown up in New England, Niigata, Japan, and Tokyo, my creativity reflects the complexities and contradictions of my life history. As a performer, I prioritize the body in this process, finding presence and intensity by pursuing impossible means. I revel in the disconnect, discomfort and rupture that is inherent in exploring a new medium or topic.