roswell artist-in-residence program

& the   roswell museum and art center

present in the Marshall Gallery
 
Mimi Kato
October- November, 2008

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ROSWELL MUSEUM AND ART CENTER
November 22, 2008-January 4, 2009

Mimi Kato often describes her work as a one-person theater. The artist is the actor, performing the characters; the choreographer, orchestrating the movements and poses of the characters; the costume-designer, with her hand-sewn outfits; set designer, with hand-drawn computer illustrations creating the 'scene'; and, above all, the director, as she seamlessly orchestrates the pieces of the production within the two-dimensional space of her prints. Influenced by traditional Japanese art and its patterns, Kato often appropriates these visual queues from her native origin, combining them with folklore and memories from her childhood as well as contemporary issues, situations, and a bit of humor. Kato's work reveals a personal yet universal narrative.

This project traces its origin to masks my parents owned during my childhood in Japan. These masks are not Noh or Kyogen masks, which have a long history in Japan but rather are masks worn by common people for festivals and seasonal celebrations. Simple yet fragile, the masks are beautifully painted and handcrafted by an unknown entity who has been gone for a long time. Fairly old and mostly forgotten, these masks are now overshadowed by newer cheap plastic masks. I wanted to give these masks a task other than sitting on the wall as decoration so I started to wear them. With these masks I performed characters based on stories I created.

The Hubbit Project began after I came to New Mexico and experienced a landscape that is literally endless. I had never seen the horizon line on land before in my life. The scenery is breathtaking and its seduction beckoned me to explore deeper and deeper into the range. The scale of the landscape gave me dreams of unexplored lands and a hidden society of creatures. This is where the Hubbit tribe came to life. They are not the product of my single mind, but rather are the product of the landscape itself. ------Mimi Kato, 2008

Mimi Kato arrived in the U.S. in 1998 to study art and received her MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2006.

Artifacts:
Armor for Ritual Ceremony, 2008, bullet shells, yucca

Knitted Quiver (big),2008, plastic bags, fake fur
Knitted Quiver (small),2008, plastic bags
Water Bottle Carrier, 2008, plastic bags, plastic bottle, fake fur
Glass Arrow, 2008, Tequila bottle, feather, wood, yucca
Glass Knife (without handle), 2008, Tequila bottle

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