Exhibition Information

Artist: Kiyomi Fukui

Exhibition: The Green Thumb Project

Media: paper-casting, raised-bed planters, seeds, sprouts, plants

Gallery: Max L. Gatov Gallery West, Courtyard (CSULB)

Website: http://www.kiyomifukui.com/green-thumb-text 

email: fukui.kiyomi@gmail.com

Instagram: kiyomimiz

About the Artist

Alumni of California State University Long Beach and La Sierra University with an MFA in Printmaking and a BFA in Graphic Design. Kiyomi Fukui Nannery is a Japanese-American artist that tries to explore intimacy and embrace the changes that life gives us. These day’s she’s been doing more print related work instead of organic work, like planting, during the quarantine in her home, in the city of Long Beach, CA.

Formal Analysis

The Green Thunk Project is an art project by Kiyomi Fukui that futures the complex experience of growing life and taking care of life. The art piece starts with a thumb mold which is then used to create paper-castings out of collections of scrap papers that were torn and mold. Inside these thumb-molds were assortments of seeds that are cared for and planted. The art gallery that hosted Kiyomi Fukui’s The Green Thunk Project showcased the different stages of the growth of these thumb molds. From the multiple thumb molds, the assorted seeds, to the sprouts, and the potted plants that contain the grown thumb molds. Even though the form of this art is small, it contains a strong presence that symbolizes life, care, and growth. The vibrant green sprout that pushed its way into the world through the pale white molds and the grown blossomed yellow flowers that can now enter the dirt of a pot are powerful qualities that contain her process of healing. 

Content Analysis

This The Green Thumb Project by Kiyomi Fukui was a process of healing after the loss of her mother. Before her mother passed away she had made a mold of her mother’s thumb, which was bought along with her to grads school. It was and still is difficult for Kiyomi to deal with her mother’s passing. She felt that she had to create an art piece with the thumb mold of her mother as a healing process and as a memento. She decided to make a greenery art that involved the process of her paper-casting her mother’s thumb, filling it with seed, and planting it. Her mother’s thumb mold holds a very important position in her heart so when she saw her mother’s thumb mold take root and grew, it felt very special. She also made multiple thumb paper-caster with her own thumb during this time. All of the trials, to care and grow these thumbs, the success, and failures, we’re all a process of healing for her along with the communication and interactions with the museum’s guests. She also talked about how, when she gave out her thumbs for the audience to take home, it felt like a piece of herself was able to travel everywhere with the spread of her paper-casted thumbs and how the thumb was proof of their interaction together. Afterward, I read Kiyomi Fukui’s blog on this project of hers and wanted to share her last line:

“Loss is universal, but healing comes in many forms. I hope to reflect one form of healing here, where the coping from loss is merged with daily life activity producing further feelings to feel.”

Kiyomi Fukui

My Experience

I chose to write about this art piece of Kiyomi Fukui because I felt touched when she said, during her guest speaking in class, how she felt touch when she saw her the seeds in her mother’s thumb mold grew and sprouted. She felt like a piece of her mother was still with her and seeing how that piece that was made from her mother mold grow up healthy and life was an amazing experience. And when she goes on and talked about how her own thumb molds and her mother’s thumb mold grew to become edible plants which they used to cook made me think how even in death it’s as if her mother is still there and taking care of her daughter and husband to eat healthily and continue growing strong. I adore art that revolves around nature and is emotional support, or of mundane substance that’s when looked back means a lot to a person. This is my favorite art piece by Kiyomi Fukui along with the Apology Garden. It made me want to create my own thumb molds along with my family to grow together because even if we are gone one day, these plants that grew from our thumb mold would live on in harmony together. And the process of family bonding and repetitive trials to try and get the thumbs to grow. I look forward to seeing more art by Kiyomi Fukui and I am thankful for learning about these art pieces that she made.