Eriko Hattori

Works in Pittsburgh, PA

BIO

Eriko Hattori (they/them) is a Pittsburgh-based artist. Hattori uses imagery, symbolism, and folklore to investigate the tension between their queer identity and Japanese heritage. With a rotating set of avatars, these icons act as anchors for conversations about perversion, desire, and the fetishism of bodies. They also serve as ways to honor women yokai and demons in Japanese folklore.

Hattori's work has been shown in duo and group exhibitions across the country and has been featured in Art Maze Magazine, the GIFC World Tour, and online for Field Project Gallery's Corona Care project. They're currently a resident artist at the Brew House Distillery program in Pittsburgh, PA. They are looking forward to upcoming shows in Pittsburgh, PA; Philadelphia, PA; and Occidental, CA.

You'll like Eriko if: you love being a scholar of your own culture.

"The kitsune (intelligent foxes in Japanese folklore that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wise) means a lot to me, and until recently I honestly didn’t feel comfortable depicting them in my work. Making the work I do is, in many ways, an exercise in reclaiming my heritage after witnessing it being fetishized sooooo hard." - Eriko's Instagram