The Art Award, Tokyo Marunouchi, marking its sixth year this year, is designed to help identify and provide support for young artists. Over the past five years, it has become widely known as a gateway to success for young artists. This year’s grand prix was given to Mari Katayama (24). As a result of tibial hemimelia, a deficiency affecting the development of the tibia, she had both legs amputated at nine-years-old, making her an artist with prosthetic legs.
About Fashion and Being a Teenager
“in my room”, 2009http://www.shell-kashime.com/
“I loved fashion but the reason that I came to fashion myself was because of bullying during my teenage years. I tried to express myself by coloring my prosthetic legs like rainbows and I did many things with them. Bullies never tried to listen to me. So I thought, if they won’t hear my words, I need to let them “see” my thoughts. So I styled myself pretty uniquely. Maybe it was bit peculiar. I colored my hair green; I totally shaved off my eyebrows and wore really short skirts. I was scolded by the teachers so much.
“When I was in my hometown in Gunma Prefecture (north of Tokyo), I looked on the Internet to see if there were shops that sold the clothes that models in teen magazines such as Zipper and Cutie wore. If there were any nearby, I went to see them with my mother. But since I was fat back then, many of them didn’t fit me. Of course, my legs were also the reason that I couldn’t easily find anything in which I felt comfortable. Skinny pants for example, when I bend my knees and stand up again, fabrics get stuck at the back of knee. These kinds of things really bothered me at that time so that I couldn’t freely enjoy what I want to wear. So, I usually went to Uniqlo and bought something similar to what I wanted, in a larger size. I resized it into my size and wore them, maybe with original paintings and drawings.
“Regardless of how much I love fashion, I couldn’t wear high heels. Leggings and skinny pants are cool because they show line of the body. If I wore them, they seemed uncool, because it was somehow unnatural. My passion for fashion was extreme. I think I wanted to have everything perfect according to what I expected. Maybe an emotion that I unknowingly suppressed was being released. Anyway, I think I wanted to express myself badly.
“Luckily, I was born to a family in which needlework was common, so it was natural for me to make myself clothes if I couldn’t find what I wanted. But now, I don’t care about fashion anymore, jeans and t-shirts are just fine.”
→Next Page：About Shoes and High Heels
