Humdrum Artist Series: Keilani Mariko

‘Humdrum’ is a series of profiles on twelve of Los Angeles’ finest up and coming multimedia artists, reflecting the roster of the group art show of the same name opening at des pair books in Echo Park on September 16th.

I don’t know if it needs to be said, but I’ll say it anyway: you should be at that opening. Not only because the art is good and worth finding parking, but because print is important, physical space is important, and supporting artists is important, and by attending, you knock out all three. Keilani Mariko is an artist who utilizes iconography and physicality to draw attention to societal associations and expectations while using videography and tangibility to create closeness and distance between those expectations and their modern realities. Come and see.

How did you get started as an artist & how has your practice evolved to where you are now?

I got really into drawing when I was a little kid. That evolved from drawing a lot of anime (lol) into what I do now. Crafting was also a huge part of my childhood and an important way for me to bond with my mother and my aunties. Making things became something that I do unquestionably, so I guess that’s how I got here.

How does your creative process usually start? Does a vision or motive come first or do you find the meaning/end point as you work?

These days, an idea is usually the push I need to make something. The meaning gets imbued in the process of chasing that initial idea. My work tends to be less interesting when trying to convey a very concrete message.

Have there been any significant feelings, experiences, or themes that have influenced your work?

In recent years I’ve been working through my relationship to consumerism as a means for social capital, which is inseparable from the experience of womanhood in the US. More privately, a lot of my practice revolves around my Japanese American ancestry and the inherited experiences of my family. I’m still doing a lot of internal work before I can do these stories justice.

Los Angeles is a particularly intense and often uncomfortable place to be operating in. Do you feel like this pressure of perception and competition has affected your work or identity as an artist?

LA is a million different cities in one. Maybe the only unifying aspect is car culture. I find it and the people here inspiring.

On perception, I’ve done a lot of time around superficial people in my life, and with trying to mold myself into something I’m not. A lot of my work is about coping with those feelings. I don’t expect to make a career out of my art, which I think helps. But for real whenever somebody really buys into the rat race it rubs me the wrong way. Kill clout demons.

What do you feel is lacking in the modern art scene and why?

More community and trying to make personal connections without centering what people “do". I love when I don’t find out about someone’s work until I’ve spent some time getting to know them, it’s so much more rewarding.

What role does technology play in your practice and how might that change over time?

I studied printmaking in school, so I would say technology has become as integral to my practice as a pen or paintbrush. In terms of modern technology (beyond the offset press), it’s really hard for me to lock in without some element of physicality. Hoping to challenge myself more with this in the future, maybe with CNC machines? or coding?

Do you believe your work belongs to you or the viewer?

My work belongs to whoever buys it, but a piece of it will always belong to me. Eventually, it will most likely belong to the landfill.

At what point do you believe a piece of work is ‘finished’?

Nothing is ever finished, good artists just know when to give up.