CHIE FUJII http://solido.jp

Chie Fujii (b.1978), currently lives and works in Los Angles and New York, working as a sculptural artist.

She holds a masters degree in sculpture from Tokyo University of the Arts.After graduating Chie worked in the product industry in Tokyo for 6 years as a 3D modeling and 3D scanning artist ,which create digital models from scan data to replicate existing real-world objects or from 2D only concepts. This professional experience, creating actual three-dimensional models from 3D software has influenced her current work where she creates sculpture, not only by hand,but with computer 3D software.

*STATEMENT*

My concern before the earthquake 3.11.2011 was more focused a memory.Our memory, it is center of us life,it is everything you here,everything you seen,everything you feel,it is everything you are.How would you know someone stole your memory? I explored themes of the mind,reality vs. fantasy and what makes up the human body. In my thought and work,memory forms the boundary between reality and fantasy,also between myself and others.I also think memory is very subtle,emotional and inconstancy.Many people travel to somewhere for looking back on and taking pictures for memories.This is funny because planing for future activity become already memories in past.And one more important thing is it is really easy to forget about it without a record.What does this mean?It is different memory and experience.

Let me bring my background and a couple of examples for my latest concern little bit.It might help.We,Japanese use this phrase."Shikata ga nai"a lot.This means in English "It can not be helped" or "There is nothing to do".This is neither negative and affirmative. We use that when we face something unavoidable tragedy or injustice in the case of the circumstances are beyond their control.There was a famous report, which is "Hiroshima" by John Hersey...according that, people in Hiroshima were indifferent with moral obligation of atomic bomb. It says "the phrase after efforts to assist fatally injured Hibakusha ceased"(The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called Hibakusha).After WWⅡ,Japanese have been shifted many customs,cultures,and life styles for happiness to be believed.I was born in a local city in Japan where is the third largest incorporated city .But actually my mother was born in Okinawa 1950 where was armed force of US occupied and set up a local government(1945-1972) after WWⅡ. Okinawa originally was an independent state with about 400 years history called Ryukyu kingdom before they were forced to belong under Japan rules ,1879.I didn't find any clue so far what since when this phrase started to use in Japan.But even my grand mother felt "Shikata ga nai"as same as those.This might be framework for Japanese standard.

Now,my concern is more that how situation works to memories to our life.I fear I forget what I feel. I fear what memories are warped by smething.After the earthquake, information are awfully complicated.Information are controlled by power.There are big gap of information each person.And it is easy to say on social network service.Then many misunderstood there.Then memories are forgot by strong daily life. I started to dig it with many aspects.To me, there are 4 kinds of aspects.Memorize/recall,to learn from memory,hereditary and history.Hereditary,which assumes me like example I picked.This also have side of epitome of world.

I have been collecting mass production materials in flea market, yard sale or wherever.Unnecessary stuff.I remake or cast and mixed those with my original pieces for replicating personal scenes which in my art pieces.Those cut up scenes reminds watchers their memories with deja-vu and stimulates them to recall as a player in each scene.Those casted pieces are contorted with casting by many times.I try to cast right before boundary.More casting more unformed,scary thing when I restore is I tend to lose what my purpose which to be back to original shape. I think memories are as same as casting.Form is getting weird and losing original.I just am afraid to spend time with memories which are going to be vanish.