2 Be Seen
Exhibition Overview
“Everyone is Buddha or no one is.”
- Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D, P.T., co-author of What We Say Matters
Everyone has the basic human need to be seen and heard – it is a Universal Truth.
How we regard, relate to and interact with one another, especially those with whom we regard as the “other” can have a profound impact. In our cities, the disparity between those who have and those who have not is palpable, as is the political divide in our country overall. A relentless storm of anger, frustration, and despair beats us down daily in the news, politics, and social media. How did we get here? What can a single individual do to counteract this violence?
In 2 Be Seen, I invite the public, through my medium of LEGO® and imagery of eyes, to experience mindfulness and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as simple practices we can implement in our day-to-day interactions, to begin to acknowledge the humanity of every person.
As a fourth generation Japanese American growing up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, my mixed “hapa” ethnicity was often perplexing to people as I was one of few minorities represented among the various grade schools I attended. While I didn’t necessarily identify with my Japanese roots at the time, the annual visits from my grandparents would reveal stories of our family’s direct experience with discrimination and injustice due to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. I admired how diligent Tom and Martha Oye were in recording their stories and educating younger generations about this dark spot in American history, “lest we forget”. And yet we’ve seen these hate crimes repeated in the 21st century with people of Arab and most recently, of Latin American descent.
“Everyone has Power – we must acknowledge their power and humanity; Everyone is Buddha. You can make someone do something, but you can’t make them like it”.
These are two more Universal Truths as spoken by my teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater, a well-established and respected authority in the yoga, philosophy, and NVC worlds. It has been my cumulative study with her since 2016 that has led me to personally experience and be in awe of the transformative nature of stillness, presence, and intention to understand people with care and curiosity – all aspects of NVC. While this is foreign territory for many of us, putting these practices into action does create positive change.
In 2 Be Seen I guide the viewer through three steps as immediate take-aways towards an NVC practice. Part 1: Stillness – turning inward to become aware of yourself, a solo practice. Part 2: Listen with Empathy – absorptive listening to another person, starting with self-empathy. Part 3: Be Kind – performing an act of kindness creates an exponential change reaction. When people feel that they are seen and heard, they shift. May we all get a taste of that reality.
photos by artist and Ombré Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES:
October 12 - November 15, 2019
Ombré Gallery
1511 Race Street, Cincinatti OH 45202
November 20 - 24, 2019
NYC Jewelry Week
Hosted by Ombré Gallery
2 Rivington Street, NY, NY 10002
Opening Reception Thursday, Nov 21, 6-9pm
TBA
Featured Artist Exhibition
Lake Oswego Arts Festival, Lake Oswego, OR
emiko oye © 2019
Exhibition images from solo show opening October 2019 at Ombré Gallery