Much of the Akiko Kotani’s current uses the self-derived technique of stitching dots onto paper. This way of working started during the artist’s sojourn in Istanbul, Turkey. Not having access to the material and tools she was accustomed to using back home, the artist started to stitch paper she brought with her on the journey. After spending 2 years living in Istanbul, Akiko Kotani returned to the US inspired by the memory of the lingering enchantment of the Bosphorus Strait. Upon returning to her studio, Kotani continued to utilize this technique to produce works from the memories she had stored while living abroad.

Views of the Bosphorus is a series of works on paper, stitched with bamboo threads. The waterway is presented as negative space with the surrounding cities indicated by rendered dots onto paper. “These works were first conceived in Istanbul, gestated during my return to America, and realized in my studio, reflecting an internal and external journey that continues to this day,” the artist describes as her working process that has stretched over many years.