A figure emerges from an infinitely black background, wearing an antique Noh mask, kimono, and Micky Mouse ears, dripping in white paint and shadows of many colors. They stare directly at the viewer.
This is a self-portrait, or a portrait of a character I embody, elaborating on my performance project "Kimono 2: What We Wear."
During the performances, I move in rhythmic ritual, brushing on make-up in echoes of the beauty and rage of generations past.
Quietly, intentionally, I don a traditional kimono, layer by layer, obscuring the body and the flesh. How do I comprehend the intricate layers, the tapestry of me? How do I unravel the warp and weft of history and agency? I grapple with the boundaries and location of the self. In my every action, every breath, which is me and which is the performance, imposed and internalized. With each stroke of paint and powder, I reclaim the brush of erasure from the clutches of history, culture, family, and society.
In the final act, the brush is offered to the audience, the people watching, passively, politely, in the illusion of innocence from complicity. I present them with a choice: to embrace compliance to my act of autonomy or acknowledge complicity. Ultimately, regardless of their decision, they find themselves entwined in a paradox where compliance and complicity intertwine.

Midori is a Japanese-American interdisciplinary artist who explores the ambiguities of everyday life, labor, material culture, and distortion of memory. She focuses on the mundane to reveal their uncanniness and illuminate the hidden beauty of discarded things.
Her research interweaves traditional craft techniques, deep inner dialogue, community engagement, and interviews to create performance, installation, and 2D works.

Additional Notes (Optional)

A small note on the black background of this image: Most computer screens where this image would be viewed on aren’t able to accurately show the true depth of the non-reflective black of the special paint and pigment I’m using. It’s very light-absorbing.