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Tesla Kawakami

@romanticallyuninterested

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This is what it feels like to take a bath at Mary's house
"Church Street Tub" by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

Slumber Valley (memories from Bellingham) by @romanticallyuninterested

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16 days ago

A Girl is a Salt Lick (Junes house), made longingly from my temporary studio in Virginia. See these ladies in person at the QFD Community Art Show on Oct 9th at CAM!

@queerfiguredrawing @common_area @vacenterforthecreativearts by @romanticallyuninterested

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19 days ago

Natural Becoming by Tesla Kawakami (@romanticallyuninterested) is a window exhibit at 906 Alaskan Way visible from the sidewalk! Heading to Pioneer Square Art Walk tonight? Be sure to walk down Alaskan Way and see Natural Becoming up close!

In a world where departure often seems the only rational response, Natural Becoming, poses a radical question: what happens when we choose to remain and bear witness? This exhibition confronts our emotional paralysis by transforming overwhelming climate data into scenes of unexpected aliveness. The paintings depict crumbling infrastructure reflected in flooded water and familiar Pacific Northwest flora and fauna rendered strange in harsh landscapes, creating scenes of magical realism where tender life and violence coexist. The work is established through layered processes that enact what they depict. Surfaces are built using masking and revelation, concealing forms before excavating them through reductive scratching that simulates erosion. Beneath oil paint layers, neon acrylic underpaintings generate visual vibrations—color fields pulsing with anxious energy, suggesting beauty perpetually on the verge of collapse. These paintings offer the perspective that existing in harsh conditions is an act of rebellion and protest. Natural Becoming is not merely documentation of loss, but a vibrant testament to persistence.

Learn more about Shunpike's Storefronts and Artist Residencies at shunpike.org/storefronts (link in the bio)

Photos by @media.jjackson

#shunpike #seattleart #shunpikestorefronts by @romanticallyuninterested

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4 months ago

Hi it’s me by @romanticallyuninterested

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8 months ago

“Speckled Prey”, three 11x14 panels

Commission for @max.sarkowsky :) by @romanticallyuninterested

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9 months ago

enjoy this little frog I painted!
“thaw” 11x14
now on view at Chase Gallery by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

I made this piece at Vashon artist residency for my upcoming show at Chase gallery in Spokane! I hope you can come see it in person, but it also has a Seattle debut scheduled. More info to comeeee

“New Haunts” oil and acrylic, 48x66 (this painting is almost as tall as I am)

Poster design by @freyja_r_whitney by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

Tesla Kawakami (they/them) is a contemporary mixed-media artist based in Seattle, Washington, whose oil paintings explore themes of nostalgia, destruction, identity, and transformation. Drawing from their life in the Pacific Northwest, Tesla’s work is deeply influenced by the region’s whimsical landscape, the ongoing impacts of climate change, and their experiences as a queer person.

Swipe to see the original work we commissioned from Tesla for this year’s Pride on Public Display issue. And head to link in bio to read the full interview with the artist.

Stay tuned for more Pride content as the month comes to a close!

#seattlepride #seattleprideevent #seattleart by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

Made this sweet sappy portrait for Public Display Art’s pride poster series! Copies have been posted around town so keep ur eye out and send me a pic if you find them. If you want a copy of your own they’ll be handing them out at the parade on the 29th!

My poster was inspired by the old English ballad, La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats. In this tale a knight becomes enchanted with a fairy who seduces him and leaves him cold, robbed, and alone. There are several visual adaptations of this poem that depict the knight absorbed in her beauty, unaware of his unpleasant fate to be, but my painting imagines a different fate. Inspired by the total infatuation described by Keats, my depiction of queer infatuation, while it is urgent and wild, remains tender and long lasting. My piece is titled La Belle Dame Amoureuse, departing from the meaning of the original title, “the beautiful lady without mercy”; my piece is about “the beautiful lady in love”.

Thank you @publicdisplay.art for the fun assignment! by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

madrona tree painting I made while on residency on Vashon :)

@vashonartistresidency by @romanticallyuninterested

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a year ago

Best worst year ever ;) by @romanticallyuninterested

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2 years ago