Portrait of an Artist: Saeri Kiritani

This is a continuing series of interviews with the forty-eight artists whose work was selected for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The third OBPC exhibition opened on March 23, 2013, and will run through February 23, 2014.

Saeri Kiritani, who participated in our interviews last autumn, created the work “One Hundred Pounds of Rice” for the 2013 competition.

 

Q; What is your name, where are you from, where do you live now?

A: My name is Saeri Kiritani (My artist name is Saeri only, no last name).  I am from Japan.  Presently, I live and work in NYC.

Q: What medium(s) do you work with?

A: I use many forms of media.  I use any objects if they suit my needs for my art work.

Q: What is your background (education, career, etc.) and how does it contribute to your art?

A: I have a BA degree from San Francisco State University, a BFA degree from San Francisco Art Institute, and an MFA degree from University of Pennsylvania. Meeting many talented, interesting people from school gave me encouragement to be an artist.

Q: What are you currently working on?

A: I am working on performance video / photography pieces.

Q: How has your work changed over time?

A: I started to think about my background and how I fit into this 21 century.

Q: Tell us about a seminal experience you’ve had as an artist.

A: It is very difficult to survive as an artist.  Now I understand how, for example, somebody like Van Gogh suffered to be an artist.  I think artists have to sacrifice a lot in order to create works of art.  It could be painful but it could be a good thing too.

Q: Who are your favorite artists?

A: Goya, Caravaggio, Joseph Beuys, Ito Jakuchu (Japanese painter from 18th century)

Q: If you could work with any artist (past or present) who would it be?

A: I would like to work with Kerry James Marshall if possible.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Life, people, and the human psyche generally inspire me.