Iku Oseki. April 22, 2020. Somerville, Massachusetts, USA.
“Interior With Self”
We are living through a strange time. I am an art teacher in Cambridge, MA, and have been learning furiously to do distant teaching for the last 6 weeks. Fortunately, I am able to go to my studio when I’m not working with technology, zooming with colleagues and students, or searching for interesting projects kids can do at home. My work has been definitely different these weeks, reflecting this disquieting, introspective time.
I usually don’t do self-portraits. But, this situation has been calling me to do so. “Interior with Self” started out as an interior to reflect the unsettling quietness I am feeling being inside all the time. The elements are disjointed and creating a sense as if I am falling through a time tunnel. I decided to add myself, desperately trying to stay calm, surrounded by my favorite furniture and colors of my living room. Yet, I am still tied to the world outside, whether via crazy news media or school emails, through the internet on my lap.
Interior in this case is not just the interior of a house, but my emotional interior. However, I was appreciative of rich colorfulness of our house especially because I’ve been noticing the other people’s interiors on zoom screens.