Na Omi J. Shintani
Solo exhibition: “Our Hearts Pulse Together” January 11 - February 16
Public opening reception Sunday, January 12, 1-4 PM
First Friday Artwalk Artist Talk, February 7, 5 PM
Na Omi J. Shintani makes art as a way to connect and heal during times of trauma, chaos, and uncertainty. Her solo exhibition “Our Hearts Pulse Together” expresses her relationship with her ancestors and culture.
Shintani’s family endured imprisonment in incarceration camps during WWII. She turned to art to research, educate, and express this injustice. Her art strives to heal the loss of Japanese culture for many incarcerated families who felt they had to assimilate and leave behind their language and traditions when they were released.
Shintani’s work blends ritual and innovation, serving as a slow art-making meditation. She incorporates traditional Japanese crafts into her work, exploring themes of resilience, mindfulness, and balance. Within her assemblage, mixed media, and sculptures, one can find sashiko, a Japanese stitching technique traditionally used for mending clothes; momigami, the process of kneading paper to turn it into fabric; kirie, the art of papercutting; and wrapped stones.
Shintani received her M.A. in transformative art from J.F.K. University, a program based on self-knowledge and working with the community. She has shown her work in museums and public art exhibitions across the United States and internationally for two decades. Shintani grew up in Lodi, California; she lives and works in Half Moon Bay.
My kimono alteration reflects the loosening connection to my ancestry and culture.
During WWII, anything “Japanese” was burned, like books, dolls, and clothing. Speaking the language was discouraged. I have heard many of my generation did not learn to speak or read Japanese. After our parents were released from the Japanese American Incarceration Camps, the goal for some was to assimilate and be “American.” For some families, it wasn't easy to hold onto traditions.
I felt uncomfortable as I cut away the kimono designs and embellishments. I am destroying a symbol of my Japanese culture. The cutting became a meditation, and in the end, I felt closer to my heritage after spending hours deconstructing the kimono.
The cut-out areas are spaces for learning and transforming traditions, culture, and growth. The kimono is reduced to a skeleton, a web, yet the garment maintains its elegant and simple structure even after deconstruction.
Shintani, Deconstructed Kimono No. 9, 2024, 72 x 48 x12 inches (photo by Susan Friedman), $3,600
Vitality is a spirit, a continuance, an expression of life I find in nature. My explorations and creations become meditations. Each red stitch is like a step along a path to explore different kinds of vitality.
The Bristlecone pine roots and branches reach across the pillars. It is resilient to harsh weather and poor soil, growing very slowly where few others can survive. One pine is over 5,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living species.
Some days the red stitching outlines the tree’s longevity and steadfastness. These are qualities that inspire me to live life in a slower and deliberate pace. Other days the red stitching turns into rivers and streams and my art becomes about flow, movement, and transformation - expressing another kind of vitality.
While cutting, shapes and spaces make room for new pathways and rhythms. Sprinkled throughout are secret shapes you may discover. Travels to Morocco and Spain come to my mind as intricate Moorish-like patterns appear. Other days I see the farm fields and city blocks from the sky.
Journeys through memories, thoughts, and places occur. The continuance of creating and taking apart fills my art. It is my vitality!
Shintani, Vitality Pillars, 2022, embroidery, acrylic paint, recycled eco-friendly kraft paper on wood panels, 48 x 12 x 1.5 inches, $3,600
The Refuge is a place of comfort and safety, created with handmade paper twine woven and integrated with beautiful rice paper embedded with leaves, feathers, and glitter. The candles and flowers depict the resilience within us.
Shintani, Refuge, 2024, Handmade paper twine, bird cage, rice paper, 28.5 x 19 x 19 inches (photo by Paulette Phlipot), $2,400
Shintani, L to R: Resilience, Ripples, Mother and Child, 2021-2024, embroidery, monoprint, momigami paper process, 15 x 12 inches framed, $1,200 each
This series features the Japanese sashiko sewing style, which originated in Japan, most likely during the Edo Era, which lasted from the 1600s to the 1860s.
It was used mainly by lower-class citizens like farmers. Traditionally, sashiko was used to reinforce points of wear or to repair worn places or tears with patches. Today, this running stitch technique is often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery.
Shintani works with recycled paper and uses her monoprints to create momigami that means "kneaded paper” in Japanese. It is a type of paper that feels like fabric. She uses momigami as a base for sashiko sewing.
The vessel is woven and embellished with shells collaged with joss paper and gold, bamboo, and red string tangles in and out. The basket accepts, contains, protects, and preserves life's birth/death/rebirth cycle.
Shintani, Alchemical Vessel, 2024, found basket, shells, bamboo, string, acrylic paint, 33 x 17 x 3 inches (photo by Paulette Phlipot), $1,200
The golden beeswax full moon reminds us of time to manifest intentions and aspirations. The red thread is an everlasting connection to our ancestors and community.
Shintani, Beeswax Full Moon, 2024, filter, wax, paper, acrylic, collage, thread, wood, 22.5 inches diameter, $900
The Chinese gold and orange paper are often used as an offering along with tea, food, and fruits. They are sometimes burnt as messages to ancestors. Shintani uses Japanese sashiko embroidery to integrate robust ginkgo for resilience, peace, healing, and longevity.
Shintani, Spirit Offerings (9 pieces), 2024, Joss paper, tea dyed paper, embroidery, canvas, 5 x 5 inches, $300 each
Stone wrapping is an art form rooted in Japanese tradition.
Shintani uses traditional Japanese basket-making techniques to transform rocks into art talismans for clarity and peace, earthly touchstones and stepping stones for one’s life journey.
Through her work, she continues the Japanese tradition of gift wrapping or “tsutsumu,” which denotes respect for those who receive a gift – it is like wrapping one’s heart. Shintani’s art is a mixture of ritual and innovation created as a meditative practice.
The stones are individually selected for shape, color, and pattern. The knots are selected to complement the size and shape of the stone.
A wrapped stone in your home can promote well-being and improve your mood.
Shintani, Wrapped Stones, 2024, found Coastside beach stones, rattan, various sizes, $60 each