My artistic practice is an exploration of making as a kind of medicine. I see art as an opportunity for actions of caring, compassion and attention to health. To generate experiential exchanges, I employ community-connected sculpture, performance and installation. I enhance materials often considered as waste through repurposing, refining and re-contextualizing. Art is my methodology for questioning how we use and abuse our minds, bodies and environments. My practice distills the profound from mundane experiences to highlight the transient moment. Art is a discipline of changing perspective. By bringing private into public practice, I resource the artistry of my family in both the United States and Japan to manifest connectedness.
Ima Knafl Akagawa
ReBlock project at SAIC
2017
scrap wood, various paints and finishes