My works are motivated by the memory of a childhood fantasy which, when I am depressed, manifests itself as a regression to infantilism. I also articulate the uncomfortable feelings that appear whenever I become aware of the instability of my identity. In this sense, the works, portray the inner demons of a melancholic personality, in which sculptures of weird creatures represent the conflict between maturity and childishness. To symbolize the contradictory states, my works contain ambivalent qualities, such as ‘cute’ and ‘grotesque’, or ‘humorous’ and ‘serious’. My sculptures consist of distorted images of my face and various parts of my anatomy which are attached to the bodies that I model in clay, plaster and expanding foam among other materials. In the process of modeling, significant childhood memories and childish gestures often appear in the shapes. I tend to use resin and latex, which give the textures realistic skin quality and emphasize the ‘uncanny state’ of my creatures. I am also influenced by Japanese subculture, especially the fashion for ‘cute’ products in contemporary Japanese consumerism. I believe that the fashion for cuteness perversely implies a pathological desire to revert to childhood.
Chiho Iwase studied Fine Art, Sculpture at
Chelsea College of Art & Design
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