Tadashi Koizumi

Artist statement


At its core, my work is about opening unusual, humorous lines of communication. When I came to the United States from Japan at age nineteen, I realized that people connect similarly in both Eastern and Western culture.

Each scenario involving the figures evokes dark humor, sexuality, and separation, but also the community existing among the figures in the works. Each cast figure and larger raised vessel figure displays observed behaviors and comments on my experiences.

In the gallery, I recreate the space in which I work and dwell. The environment calls attention the gap between what I want to create and what the audience will appreciate. The photos on the wall, the toys I look at, the books I read, and the memos to myself provide a degree of context to the works themselves and expose personal material, but at the same time, much of it is in Japanese, which the American viewer will not understand. The transparency of my working space, methods, and influences reflects my attitude of openness to and delight in the small and silly aspects of living.

I believe that art does not have to be heavy and polemic; it can be light and humorous. My goal in art is to affect people on an individual and personal level. Because of their size and narrative elements, my works are to be experienced intimately, and to be enjoyed, played with, and laughed at. They are a way for them to forget their misfortunes, and to enable them to dream happily. I am confident that I can give joy and peacefulness with the simple gesture of art as a gift.