The word 'community' has always been thrown around ever since I’ve been a kid, especially in school. But for me, community has always been vague and hard to describe, and every ‘community’ I’ve been part of always changed. Because of that, the only community that has stayed with me the longest, and also makes me feel at ease the most, is home.
Showing this feeling of being At Ease was the main focus of my series. Because there are a lot of warm colors throughout my house, I focused on using those colors to evoke the feeling of comfort. Using a blurred technique, inspired by photographer Uta Barth, helped me further create this feeling.
An important aspect of life that others should have, in my opinion, is for people to find somewhere comfortable to be in and to be surrounded by the people who make up that space. For me, that happens to be home. But for others, that might be somewhere else, and it’s important for that space to be appreciated and to cherish that space.
About the artist
My name is Riki Ekuni and I am a Japanese-American who is currently a Visual Arts major at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and studying photography there. Inspired by my mother, photography became an unexpected favorite medium for me, and I wish to get better and explore the different styles of photography.
This project was created as part of the Future Imagemakers program in the NYU Department of Photography and Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts in Spring 2024. To see all the 2024 Future Imagemakers projects, click here.