Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 43
Occupation: Artist.
Instagram: @yokokubricksculptor
Hometown: Born in Guam, but grew up in Guam, Hawaii, California, and former Czechoslovakia.
Studio location: San Francisco and Tuscany.
Describe what you make: I am a visual artist and sculptor. I make stylized and abstract sculptures inspired by nature and mythology. I’m interested in exploring the psychology of aesthetics, what I call the “emotive language of form.”
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: My first monumental sculpture which debuted at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase this year. It’s an abstraction of a river, called Lethe, and draws inspiration from a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses about the waters of forgetting that souls drank from between lives as a form of memory cleansing.
Describe the problem your work solves: The meaning and purpose of abstract sculpture is to enrich the lives of humans, explore the psychology of aesthetics and space, and serve as a place for the mind to rest, wander, reflect, and daydream.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m working on several maquettes for large-scale sculpture and my first maquette concepts for sculptural spaces and furniture.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I’m working on functional sculpture pieces to debut in early 2021. I’m exploring the boundaries between art, design, and architecture, and bringing play and abstraction into the scenography of daily life.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Positive energy, natural light, iced tea, sometimes music, and a blue stone necklace that I’ve worn since I was 14.
What you do when you’re not working: Several times a year, I like to take time to travel alone. Usually, I go to a new or unfamiliar place. When spending time alone—mostly silent since I’m not talking with anyone—ideas that were hazy in my mind start to emerge as if from a fog. They form themselves in front of me. I can visualize them with almost photographic detail. When I return, I feel refreshed and full of creative energy. My slate has been cleaned off and I feel like I’m starting fresh.
Sources of creative envy: Nature, tribal art, Antoni Gaudí, the sculpture gardens of Edward James, Nikola Tesla, Constantin Brancusi, Gigi Guadagnucci, Sebastian Bianco.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Wi-Fi, cell phones, computers.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Forget.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Twilight.
