I moved to the United States from Japan ten years ago. For the better half of those ten years I've been an observer of interactions and experiences between people and places. These experiences have made me empathic towards people that I have no physical relation to.
My story begins with not knowing very much English when I arrived here. My primary commonality with other people and surroundings when I first came to the United States was that of human gesture and facial expressions.
My work conveys a universal experience shared by all individuals through facial expression and simple body language and which I convey between the ceramic figures I create. I enjoy touching clay. I found a way to communicate through ceramics using gestures, patterns, and textures which create a rhythm that brings the figures alive.
Through my work I ask people to stop moving and enjoy the moments they are experiencing with their surroundings. I ultimately want people to think about 'The moment not the movement of time'. If my audience slows down to appreciate the perceived interaction with my figurative sculpture then they will be sharing in a common perception staged in a space to show the human experience.
- Kensuke Yamada