Virtual Stories That Object Tell
Broken, but Mending
Kenzie Campbell
Sculpey clay, wood board, acrylic paint, contact cement
2020
Broken, but Mending is an interpretation of my family and their struggle in Canada, my identity, and my own personal demons. The idea behind this piece takes a part of my family’s Okinawan culture: protecting the home and the person. The shisa (lion dogs) are the two statues on the platform, which are cultural representations of guardians of the home in Okinawa, Japan. One has its mouth open to ward off evil spirits, one has its mouth closed to keep good spirits in. These statues are sitting upon a combination of the Japanese and Canadian flag to represent the protection of the lands united, a place and a culture we call home.
I chose to have these shisa’s shown broken but coming back together in a kintsugi style repair, but not fully complete. Kintsugi is the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with lacquer that has gold or silver in it to highlight the embracing of imperfections, and the creation of something even stronger. This is to show the guardians failure at protecting my family from the struggles they endured during their move to Canada, where they experienced harsh working conditions and were placed in Japanese internment camps. Hence, the shisas are placed on top of the combination of the nations’ flags.
The brokenness of the statues also represents my own identity and my struggle with my own demons, showing the inability to protect myself as I learned to navigate life with a mental illness: bipolar II disorder. This is significant as this is a struggle within my own body, a place I should be safe and at home in. The colours I chose to paint the statues reflect this disorder and my demons by having one painted in dark, heavy tones to represent the lowest pats of my illness, and the other painted with light, airy colours to represent the highest parts of my illness. Both of the colours are placed chaotically on the statues as both of these highs and lows are not a necessarily pleasant or uniform thing, often causing a significant amount of chaos in my mind.
I am learning.
We are mending.
This is my home.
I am home.
About Kenzie Campbell
Kenzie was born and raised in Coaldale, Alberta, growing up in a wonderfully loving household. She moved to Lethbridge, Alberta in 2015 during her first undergraduate degree, still staying close to her parents and family. Kenzie primarily works with acrylic paint on canvas. Recently, she has been exploring and enjoying creating art through pyrography and linoleum relief printing. Kenzie is a strong mental health advocate, with her artistic work usually focusing on her struggle with herself and her mental illness, trying to bring light to what it is like to have a mental illness. Kenzie has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Lethbridge and is currently working towards completing an after-degree in Art Education, after finding a passion for teaching children and wanting to spread her love of art to many.
