Artist: Yoskay Yamamoto. Title: Koibito. Ltd edition of 150. 7" tall vinyl sculpture. Signed and numbered. Koibito [koi-bee-toh]: a loved one. sweetheart. koi [koi]: a carp. bito [bee-toh]: a person. Koibito is based on the original painting featured in Yoskay's "In a Foreign Land" show at project:gallery (now LeBasse Projects). "Once upon a time I had a goldfish named Tuna. But he passed away because of my laziness and mistreatment. So I painted him for his memory. But at same time Koibito symbolizes the sense of alienation that I felt growing up in Cali. It's kind of like the phrase "fish out of water". I felt and still feel like I don't completely fit in my environment...both in Japan and the US.".
