b. 1967, Tokyo; lives and works in New York
Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 artist

Somehow, I Don’t Feel Comfortable (Hawaiʻi version)
2021
Nylon, air blower, and sound
198.5 x 141.75 x 110 in

This item is available for private sale only. Please contact events@hawaiicontemporary.org if you would like to purchase or inquire about this artwork.

The original iteration of Somehow, I Don’t Feel Comfortable (2000–) features a pair of purposely oversized, pink, inflatable bunnies, cramped between the ceiling and floor. The piece explores the Japanese notion of cuteness, a syndrome applied not only to consumer goods but also to female behaviors in Japanese society, including communication, negotiation, smiling, and sexuality. Full of air, as if on the verge of popping, the inflated bunnies mirror Momoyo Torimitsu’s frustration about societal expectations for women in Japan.

For Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 (HT22), an updated version of Torimitsu’s work, Somehow, I Don’t Feel Comfortable (Hawaiʻi version), was trapped in the hyper-commercialized Waikīkī tourist zone. This time, a single bunny confronted the viewer with its whimsical—or menacing—larger-than-life presence as if to refuse being easily consumed as yet another kawaii fetish.

The HT22 version also incorporates audio of the artist humming old Japanese songs that express dreams of Hawaiʻi. This longing is complicated by Japan’s and Hawaiʻi’s shared histories: the Japanese Imperial Military attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; the US military’s atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945; the release of the song Akogare no Hawaii Kouro (Longed-For Trip to Hawaii) in 1948 to great success; the release of Hawaii no yoru (A Night in Hawaii) in 1953, the first post-WWII Japanese movie to be filmed overseas; and the status of Hawaiʻi as a popular travel destination for Japanese people today.

EXHIBITED | Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022 at Royal Hawaiian Center (February–May 2022) and at Hawaiʻi State Art Museum (June–December 2022).

Installations views: HT22 at Royal Hawaiian Center. Photos: Christopher Rohrer. HT22 at Hawaiʻi State Art Museum. Photo: Brandyn Liu.


+ + +

All artworks ship from Honolulu. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the buyer. Applicable sales tax will apply to all works shipped within Hawaiʻi. Please note, bidders will be charged for the total purchase price; 3% processing fee, 2.9% credit card transaction fee, plus $0.30 per transaction, if applicable; and any sales tax, based on your registration address. For transactions over $10,000, you will be given the option to pay via wire transfer. Please direct inquiries to events@hawaiicontemporary.org.