Carina Fushimi - BARE BONES
Carina Fushimi is a writer, photographer and designer– an artist of many talents who seamlessly weaves her diverse skills together to create deeply personal creations. In a minimalist studio tucked away from the relentless pace of Tokyo, she crafts her work with an innate curiosity and an unwavering commitment to self-expression.
Introduction
I first met Carina at a coworking space called Midori.so, located in Bakuroyokoyama, Tokyo. My friend Adrian Hogan, introduced me to her during one of my visits. At that time, I was searching for a serene location and a flexible desk option to work from. We discussed her experiences and work in book production, among other topics, as well as her collaborations with other creatives. After a few conversations at events we both attended, covering photography, storytelling, and finding inspiration to organize thoughts and art into personal projects, I knew that I would definitely want to know more about her story, and collaborate in the future.
Carina
Carina is a multidisciplinary artist, born in Gifu and raised in Tokyo, who also spent several years in the UK and later in the US. As a writer, photographer, designer, and producer, she possesses numerous skills and talents, which she often keeps hidden, only to reveal them unexpectedly like rabbits pulled out of a hat. Carina's artistry is driven by her unyielding pursuit of self-discovery and her passion for storytelling. Her work showcases a unique blend of raw emotions, capturing the essence of her experiences and the world around her. Incredibly humble, intelligent, and somewhat calm and introverted, she is a remarkable individual. Through her art, Carina creates a space where vulnerability and strength coexist, unveiling the complexities of human nature and the beauty of genuine self-expression. I have always admired qualities such as consistency, effort, passion, and self-improvement.
Some milestones include : her co-creation of Terasu while studying at university, the publication (under a pseudonym) of a fascinating essay called The Neoliberal Trap of Freelancing, her work with writer and photographer Om Malik, and one of her most recent projects, collaborating with Craig Mod on the publication of the 4th edition of Kissa by Kissa, which features a beautifully illustrated cover by our dear friend Luis Mendo.
Photography
To Carina, cameras are not gadgets with specifications to discuss, but rather tools of expression. That being said, she exclusively shoots with a Nikon FM2 she purchased in 2014 and a Contax T2 gifted to her by her brother in 2018 in exchange for helping him in a research project. Film is her preferred and only medium, as it eliminates the friction of spending countless hours in front of a screen; however, it also adds a level of complexity she nearly overlooks. She recently started to print her images in a negative laboratory, not only black and white but also experimenting with color negative prints. It is during her travels and departure from her usual headquarters that the magic occurs, capturing those ephemeral moments of conviviality, peace, and friendship visible in her images.
Diaries
Carina utilizes various methods to document her life and thoughts. She has a diary—an orange book she carries everywhere—to take notes about everything around her. I was unable to see inside it, as it is apparently very detailed (laughs), she just wants to protect the privacy of the people it’s based on. I photographed it so you can see how it looks like.
Carina shows me one of her favorite photo books, from Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi.
Her orange notebook
Meta
Kissa by Kissa, by Craig Mod
Sanctuary
Her home and studio boast a minimalist design. The room features a floor bed with very few possessions. Her primary workspace includes a computer and a desk situated next to a sunlit window, a stack of books in the corner, and a recently purchased printer on the floor. The kitchen has minimal gadgets, and a wall is decorated with photos that would later be incorporated into her new book. A sense of inner peace and calm permeates the space, even in the area where her drafts and photo selections are gathered on the carpet.
Newsletters
Carina has had experience with newsletters for years, but I will focus on her two most recent endeavors. The first one, called The Big Sort, essentially featured two photos, sent twice a week for two months. At the end of the two months, she wrapped up the time-boxed newsletter as promised (Pop-Up Newsletters are the Greatest Newsletters). The second one, which is ongoing, is called HHRU (short for Hey How are You). It feels less self-contained but seems to have naturally evolved from a variety of personal thoughts and photos into the core foundation of BARE BONES, just as her solo show was coming together. The variety of topics has generated (like the “dating” issue, replies and feedback from the readers that has been incorporated as replies on successive editions, making it dynamic and easy to follow up.
You can subscribe to it here: https://buttondown.email/hey-howareyou
BARE BONES
“For reasons that now elude me, I’m making a little book for my solo show at Midoriso Bakuroyokoyama. I’ve been working on this thing for about five to six months. But this week, it seemed to fall apart. I spent the weekend restricting it, but it still feels so fragile. When there's a hard deadline right around the corner, that's when all the awkward photo pairings and word fluff jump out of the page. It’s due in two days.” Excerpt from HHRU 2:6 - deadlines.
Carina embarked on a deeply introspective journey with BARE BONES. While she presents the book as if it had brewed by accident on the long road to her solo show, it seems to me that it was quietly building up. Drip-fed by bi-weekly and then weekly newsletters, it must have reached a point where the words would not fit in the jar anymore. And her solo show in Midori.so, the exact same place where we originally met, provided the perfect spark to bring it all together in a wonderful exercise of self-inflicted passion work.
“Now, I realize the goal is simply to be as honest as I can be in the (little remaining) time that I have.”
Excerpt from HHRU 2:6 - deadlines.
As she tells me when interviewing her, people around her asked probing questions that pushed her to refine her message and focus on the feelings she wanted to convey. Through this process, Carina discovered the importance of honesty and authenticity, both in her book and her creative practice overall.
Her journey to create the book was marked by self-reflection and a search for answers within herself. The feedback she received from others guided her to be more genuine and focus on what truly resonated with her. Ultimately, Carina's book serves as a testament to her commitment to being honest and authentic in her work, even when faced with tight deadlines and the pressures of presenting her art to the world. Therefore, BARE BONES.
You can order BARE BONES here: https://hey-howareyou.myshopify.com
Visit her solo show starting on the 25th of March 2023, details below:
Bonus Content: Unedited Audio Interview Cut
Closing + About State of Tokyo
I appreciate your dedication to reading this far, and I'm grateful for your interest in this project.
My name is Alex Abian and I’m a Photographer and (aspiring) writer based in Tokyo.
Originally launched in 2015, State of Tokyo stemmed from my personal desire to capture and share stories about the captivating people and places I encountered in my daily life in Tokyo. After a long hiatus, I took this opportunity to revive the project as long term piece of work.
Several key motivations inspired me to initiate this project and to continue working on it today:
I aspired to have creative control and choice over my subjects and the photography process, free from external limitations. While client work can be rewarding, it often leaves us at the project's receiving end, without an opportunity to participate in the creative or artistic process. I yearned for control, creativity, and the ability to make decisions, discover locations, and explore.
Additionally, I aimed to hone my writing skills. Being an avid reader since childhood, I found that expressing my emotions and thoughts through writing offered me greater clarity than speaking. I believe that interviewing people enables us to access hidden, guarded spaces. My goal was to reach these spaces, share them with the world, and highlight the remarkable nature of some individuals. Amid a world consumed by infinite-scrolling and a constant barrage of alarming news, heroes are everywhere, often unnoticed except by those closest to them.
Finally, driven by my curiosity to explore and uncover the world, I wanted to present the places that inspire me and spark my inquisitiveness. Our world brims with stories, many of which remain untold. I invite you to join me on this long-term voyage of exploration and discovery.
There's way more coming than just articles in store, but for now, consider this the initial phase of my re-entry into State of Tokyo.
It's time for storytelling!
BARE BONES prototype, which it arrived from the printer exactly when we were shooting and doing the interview.