Aki Sasamoto
Poetry Light Stool
Poetry Light Stool by Aki Sasamoto evokes the spirit of Fluxus, the intermedia movement that encouraged artmaking to be simple, fun, and address everyday life. Aki Sasamoto does just that with this ironic work that revolves around found objects, namely a four-legged wooden stool to which she attached four wheels. Coiling above is a goose-neck cable that rises up and culminates in a globe lamp. The artist clothed the glowing orb with a pair of ladies’ panties. Sasamoto exposes what we hide—namely apparel that is revealed in private by the wearer and only visible to those who might be present during (un)dressing. The old saying defines identity as skin deep. Sasamoto thus participates in today’s questioning about race, gender, and identity plumage, which we conceal and reveal.
Aki Sasamoto is an artist whose mediums include performance, sculpture, dance, and whatever other form it takes to get her ideas across. She often collaborates with scientists, scholars, and other artists in the visual arts, music, and dance. She plays multiple roles as performer, dancer, sculptor, writer, and director. Her work has been presented both in performing as well as visual art venues, in white box galleries, and black box theaters, as well as in offbeat public sites, in Tokyo, New York and Europe.