Atelier Talk: October to November 2025 -A Small Big Change Inside of Me

A clock in my studio building has been pointing at the same time since it was installed. You can read my clock story on this blog, but I started to see it as it is actually more accurate than a clock that is set ahead of time or slower than real time.

Happy December everyone. 

I am a little behind, but this is my atelier blog for past two months, October and November. These past two months have been amazing months for me, with many new meetings and two exhibitions. I am truly grateful to everyone who made this happen. 

This blog contains:

my about my reminiscence about two exhibitions (below), my experiences and activities (middle of the blog), my personal and mental shifts (bottom of the blog).

The group exhibition "Threads of Belonging: Ten Emerging Asian Women Artists" at Hollis Taggart Downtown Gallery extended until December 6, 2025, and it has finally closed. I am truly grateful for this exhibition opportunity, as Hollis Taggart gallery has been one of my favorite galleries to visit for many years. I am also grateful to many people who attended the opening reception to support me, and to the people who visited the exhibition to see my work, regardless of my presence. You can still view my work exhibited at the Hollis Taggart Gallery here.

I was also grateful that the GOCA Gallery included me in their group show, "Threshholds." It was two weeks, a relatively short show, but many people attended for the opening and closing receptions. I think it was such a spontaneous exhibition that gave me a great moment to think about my future direction as a living artist. I'm thankful to the director of the gallery, who spent time thinking and talking with me simply to help my growth. GOCA Gallery still holds my work exhibited in this show and a few others for a few more months. You can still view my work included in this exhibition here.

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Some Activities and Inspirations

Art Exhibitions...
Despite my unusual schedule, I visited three exhibitions I wanted to see. A sculptor Lynn Chadwick's (1914-2003) exhibition "Hypercycle / Chapter II: Archetype (1963-1977)" at Perrotin Gallery, Rafael Soriano at Hollis Taggart Gallery, and this last Friday of November I also made it to "Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100", which is a major exhibition celebrating the centenary of the Surrealist movement organized by Centre Pompidou in Paris France. There are a few more shows and museums I want to check out this winter..., but those were the exhibitions I wanted to visit for myself.

Paul Delvaux, Phases of the Moon, 1939

My Monthly Reading...

I also did my monthly reading for November. A short book called The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, Volume 2 (I only have volume 2 and am now thinking about volume 1...). These past few months have been very busy for me, and I needed to pause my reading. Although I intentionally chose an easy reading book, I was happy and felt better about getting back to my reading habit.

By the way, I found this book on a street in Brooklyn one day when I was walking as "free for a good home," and I brought it home. It was in mint condition, and I was going to sell it, but I am glad that I read it.  

Page 94 of The Tiny Story Book of Tiny Stories, Volume 2

New Books...
I also got three new books and added them to my bookshelf. A comic book about the life of a legendary Japanese comic author, a Ukiyoe Book from Ronin Gallery, and a social study photograph book about personal belongings, I had been looking for a long time. The books I collect help my future art, so I won't list the exact title here. It was not my plan to buy any book anytime soon, but as a book collector, I know sometimes you have to act the moment you see it.

At the entrance of Ronin Gallery, 11. 20. 2025

ウサ活, Supporting rabbits club

Two Movies...
Surprisingly, I even saw two movies this past week. Would you be interested in reading my movie review for 国宝 Kokuho (2025) and 天使のたまご Angel's Egg (1985) from a creator's perspective? These two movies are the best examples of a consumer' movie and a movie for creators (or creative thinkers). I hope and believe Kokuho will be nominated for several awards this or next year. While Kokuho is a great movie, maybe the best if you want to see a movie from Japan overseas this year. There was nothing new in the movie to me; it didn't leave me with questions to think about, and it wasn't a life-changing experience. One of the accomplishments of this movie, I think, is that they managed to put together such a long years of story into only three hours of this quality. It is simply a respect, as well as the way they poetically captured different scenes. I cried for about half of the movie, and it was a good movie. It just wasn't a life-changing experience for me — and, in this sense, isn't it that same for most of you? If you really analyze your reaction to the movie. For me, Angel's Egg was more important to see.

Kokuho became the second movie I saw alone at the New York Theater.

A movie is originally an entertainment and recreation, and movies are made to be seen and enjoyed by a mass audience. Thus, it has to be generalized, and it cannot be too vague, too deep or too complicated nor too specialized, and it has to be simplified in a way. I still highly recommend watching it if you like movies. On a similar scale, a recent movie from Japan, by the way, I actually liked Drive My Car better than Kokuho in terms of depth and quiet impact and meaningfulness, and that is a reason why I feel Kokuho might achieve a higher reputation than Drive My Car nationally and internationally.

Movie Theatre Low Cinema in Ridgewood

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Changes in my Thinking

To live in the Moment, Pluck the Day.

With many events happening around me, something has started to change in me in the past months. Maybe the unique months with two exhibitions and the conversations and people I engaged with affected me and my thinking.

Back-ups...
I used to have an odd habit of owning similar replacement/back-ups of my everyday necklace and bracelet, and wearing the backups because I worried about losing or breaking my favorite original. Something, however, changed in me, and I decided to wear what I really like and store the back-ups, if I have. For the future, I wouldn’t need similar back-ups. I know it is a mental thing, like "anxiety" in a way, although I don't like this word. This habit comes from my worry about something (either I bought for myself or I was gifted in the past) that I adore and becoming like my amulet to be broken, and if it’s lost  I can't replace it. My studio practice and my life make it difficult for me to keep fragile items intact and not lost, as I have to take off everything every time I come to my art studio. I also have lost small(and big) things I love many times when I am tired, when I am on an unusual schedule, or when I am moving and traveling. 

Wearing something I really like makes me simply happier. Even if I lose it or something happens to it in the future by accident, how I feel this moment is worth everything.

From there, with this small yet big change for me, I started to think if I could do something that I wanted to do in the future now, I should do it now. I started to rethink my other surroundings.

Setting the Time on the Clocks
I always liked all my clocks set 10–15 minutes early, but about two months ago, I adjusted all my watches and clocks to an exact time. Now it has to be this way, and I prefer this way.

And finally, a true private studio soon...

Yes Finally. After I moved out of my bedroom studio in 2015, I always used a shared studio or rented out half of my private studio to another artist. It was always my dream to have my own private studio. A few artists mentioned to me, I should have my own dedicated space given the way I practice. I knew I needed to invest in my future as an artist and in what I was going to make. I finally made up my mind and, without a clear future ahead, I decided to realize one of my dreams while I could. I am not a blindly spiritual person, but I check my daily horoscope, and also, there have been many affirmations, and a few of my fellow artists mentioned the same thing, and finally encouraged me to act.

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Warming an egg is something we can do only when we have an egg in front of us, and we believe in the egg. Versus, questioning our existence is something we can only do, basically anytime, as we exist. As an artist who spends day after day in philosophical thinking and still values an intuitive and instinctive mind, I know both are important. But at this moment in my life, I value the former more.

I am surrounded by great friends who care, pay attention to, and support me and my art. I am excited to see how the small change in me will affect my new creation. I look forward to seeing what I can explore and create, and share with you this winter and in 2026.