Ari Tabei

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Artist Statement

I make garments and bags to create nests that are like my own home, my own world. These function as cocoons for me, to heal and nourish myself so that I regain strength to survive when I emerge from them. Interacting with the garments and bags, I invent ritualistic play that revives my childhood experiences and interprets the influences of my culture. My interest in rituals is influenced by my childhood in Japan where I was instructed in the importance of mindfully engaging in daily and ordinary activity with severe discipline. I am attracted to the power and beauty of rituals such as tea ceremony, kimono-wearing, and traditional Japanese wrapping techniques. They are all based on the adoration of the beautiful in everyday existence. This aesthetic teaches us purity and harmony and the mystery of the nature of human beings. As I engage myself in the performance of ritual play, my intention is to reach for understanding and transformation. In this practice of conscious engagement, I seek a truth about self and a transformative process which reveals both desperation and hope.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• 2007 - MFA, University of Connecticut
• 2002 - Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art, Brandeis University
• 1997 - BA, International Legal Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan

Selected Exhibitions

• 2007 - no•mad II (group show), Design Center Building, Hartford, Connecticut
• 2007 - Annual International Exhibition of Women’s Art, Juried Group Show, SOHO20 Chelsea, New York, New York
• 2007 - Collection of Similar Houses (group show), Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
• 2007 - 101 Dresses (juried group show), Artspace, New Haven, Connecticut

Selected Performances

• 2008 - Performance Night, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, New York
• 2008 - LMCC Swing Space Award, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, New York
• 2008 - Cocohabitat (No. 2) (collaborative), Salon Art Club Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
• 2007 - Performance at the Art Sale, Chashama, Window Gallery, New York, New York
• 2007 - Cocohabitat (No.1 (commissioned collaborative performance), Chashama, New York, New York
• 2007 - Live Performance, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

Fellowships & Residencies

• 2008 - Fellowship Award, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, New York
• 2008 - Residency Program Fellowship Award, Vermont Studio Center
• 2007 - Studio Residency, Chashama Studio X, New York, New York
• 2002 - Teaching Fellowship, Brandeis University, Brandeis, New York

Lectures

• 2007 - Basic sculpture, University of Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut
• 2008 - Japanese Culture, Eastern Connecticut State University