Sitting With It

You started out in fashion. How did you end up here?

My change in direction from fashion to art came from a desire to reaffirm the expansion and potential of fashion. The unethical mass production and consumption of clothing can't be visualised accurately in the recycling and upcycling of clothing as more clothing. In using a chair that's 'clothed' you can start to visualise a sense of crisis in the piece and become more aware of the fact that clothes are abundant to the point where they threaten our existence.

What was it about your first exhibition that connected with people so deeply, do you think?

I think my first exhibition generated empathy among people as they were able to contemplate the issues around sustainability and the worries we all share. I also think that the nature of the apparel industry was revealed to people and how sustainable practices seem to be at the forefront of the industry, yet clothes are still produced and consumed unethically and on a mass scale.

The chairs themselves that featured in the exhibition were a clear visual representation of the wastage and surplus of clothes around the world, but instead of just acknowledging the problem, the chairs provided a different angle on the issue in actually utlising the surplus and waste.

What is it that you're looking to achieve through your work?

My work aims at broadening one's viewpoint and realising the importance of doing so. Because we live in an era of turbulent change, I think we need to learn to perceive things from various angles and find possibilities to solve things in various ways. We shouldn't limit the ways of solving this issue with eco-friendly fabrics, for example, but also find other ways to address the problem, like looking at smart consumption of overflowing things. I guess I also love giving items a new purpose when they no longer retain their value as products.

You're actively involved in collaborations with big name brands and have worked with the likes of Asics and North Face. What do you hope to achieve in working with these brands?

My art and work are meaningless if people don't see them. I believe that offering new perspectives through my work can change and create new values in the world. Collaborations with diverse brands like Asics and North Face are the best way, in my opinion, to make mass production in the apparel industry and our consumerist society visible at the same time.

You staged your first show in 2020 aged 22. You have already established such a strong profile as an artist. What's next?

I plan to develop a new public art project starting this year, in 2025. I want to find new ways of creating things with the current situations and issues we're facing. I also don't have any intention of stopping – I want to challenge myself creatively no matter how young or old I am.