In 2023, My solo actions of love extended became to a collaboration with @oh.ka.y as a joint action and endurance we held together. Holding friendship. Holding tension. Knotted together while drifting apart. Holding communication through eye contact while becoming smaller in each others field of vision with crowds of people, small talk and other performances happening around us. We weaved a very long friendship bracelet ‘till the end of the night, in which the bracelet became a jump rope people around us played with us. It was powerful for me to be in full collaboration with them.

KA felt and honored the origin of the action and moved the work forward with love. Simplified and titled BFF by KA, I honor them as an artist and person collaborating through this. They brought kindness and thoughtfulness in conversation, in yarn/string, in outfit decisions, in our hang out at a Diner…
Activated in Irrational Exhibits 12 curated by Deborah Oliver at the Bendix building. @irrationalexhibits irrationalexhibits.com @bendixbuilding So much was shared and healed in this simple action. Thank you KA. IE12, Video-Photo credit, Yubo Dong, @ofphotostudio, Diego Koizumi Nishimura, @thompsosmind, Christina Wang Christina, @cchris.sw, Corey Nguyen, @coreynguyen_dp, Diego Koizumi Nishimura, @thompsosmind

In 2001, When I was a kid, I didn’t have friends. The first friendships I made where with my mates at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. I spent a year + in and out. My roommates and other children from our floor there for long term became my classmates, my family, friendships and first crush. We would check on each other and keep each other company. Their where moments when our immune systems would be too low for any contact and we would need to quarantine. One day I started making friendship bracelets when I couldn’t see any one, or when I knew a friend was going through it alone. Through the pandemic I was triggered back to that place. I did what I did when I was 12, connecting us through the walls, beyond the walls. It is being both a part of and apart from community.

With every knot I would think of a special person I cared about and wanted to energetically give blessings to. In 2019, I had collected this embroidery yarn from different markets and street vendors in Mexico from Guanajuato to Mexico City and brought them home with me last summer. In 2020, I started friendship braclete-ing non stop and connected my little cottage, to my neighbors with love. I installed it at my Slatter Court home in Davis, Ca. Tree trimmers had come in after I moved and cut some of it down. My neighbor Alyssa salvaged it and is wearing parts of it.