Goldfish funerals, racially appropriated fashion trends between Japan and America, short sleeves on long arms/long sleeves on short arms, nostalgic childhood Mitsuwa candy, and the origin story of Thomas the Tank Engine were just a few of our conversation topics when Ethan shared his list of beautiful things with me.
“It started out as a list of every “thing” I found beautiful, then as concepts and specific scenarios started to enter the list it turned into a kind of rubric in my studio for subject matter and materials to amalgamate. My mentor Cheryl Pope, who I’ve always seen as a romantic thinker, once told me that when you look at something and think “that’s beautiful,” it’s an otherworldly truth being told to you, and that’s what made me start doing it.” (Chan)
A SELECTION OF ITEMS FROM ETHAN’S LIST OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS-
CUTS OF RAW MEAT (THE FAT MARBLING, ESPECIALLY)FUJIYA PEKO POKO CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOPS FROM MITSUWATHE CARGO OF SEMI TRUCKS/THE MOTION FROM THE BED OF A TRUCK/THE RURAL MIDWESTANIMAL BONESDECOY DUCKS