The first three videos I watched from the EAI collection were Chris Marker’s Bestaire, Michael Smith and William Wegman’s The world of photography, and Alex Bag’s Untitled fall 95. This was in 2005. My love for animals, pop culture, and humor are evident in my choices.

After a sledding injury in 2020, I visited a physical therapist. I’ve been trying to balance and strengthen my body ever since, but I’m often reminded that decades of bad posture and physical imbalance takes a lot of work to correct. This led to painting ambidextrously. My therapist suggested that I perform my exercises “like a robot.” I’ve also incorporated this method into my painting, but my approach is irrational and unpredictable, depending on how my body wants to move. I’m doing this not as a conceptual gesture, but for practical and ergonomic reasons.

What I’m attracted to in early video art has evolved as I have. The works selected for this viewing room relate to my more recent focus on the body, its limitations, potential, and how this applies to the process of painting.

(Text by Trevor Shimizu, September 2025)