Conversations with Emily Kobayashi Woods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Kobayashi Woods.

Hi Emily, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was creating before a time I can even remember. I can recall asking my parents at a very young age what I should draw next. I would say the most impactful events in my life that have led me to be who I am today started in middle school, I went to a mostly white, conservative, religious school. I did not feel like I belonged. I wanted to be like the pretty white girls at my school.

As I was leaving this school and going into high school, I was very excited for new beginnings that turned into some of the darkest memories I have ever had. I again went to a predominately white, but public school. Students would comment on my skin’s appearance, race, and intelligence or lack thereof, but this was the least of my worries. I began my first toxic relationship as a 15-year-old, I was naive, and longing for safety and love. This boy was well known among the school teachers and administration, so my frequent crying in class was ignored because of my associations. This began my long journey through a self-destructive high school and college.

This long road leads me to who I am today. After enduring years of feeling like I didn’t belong, my goal as an art educator is to bring safety and care to my students that I so often miss. I am currently an art educator at a Title 1 K-8 school. Regarding my artistic practice, I found my calling in the summer of 2020. After the murder of George Floyd, I started going to protests in and around Denver when I learned about Elijah McClain. McClain’s story was eerily similar to Floyd’s and I knew I had to act.

I continued to go to protests and learn more about the different perspectives and cultures of the oppressed people of America. I have since created artwork about social justice issues. I have tried to the best of my ability to tell the stories and show perspectives of the people in America who have been discriminated against since the birth of this country.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The person I am today would not have been paved without a winding, confusing road of trials. As I have mentioned before, high school was the toughest time in my life. My boyfriend at the time isolated me from friends who slowly became acquaintances and I went down a long dark path of destructive behavior. I think when you are so young and do not realize how to handle trauma it leads kids to do what would otherwise be regrettable, dangerous decisions.

The inability to properly deal with trauma leads people to not be able to foresee the consequences of their actions. Another significant event that influenced my art practice was in the summer of 2020 at an Aurora protest. We were protesting the murder of Elijah McClain and had just entered a highway. The highway was barricaded and we had maybe reached a half mile when I heard the rev of an engine. It was a teal Jeep speeding towards us.

A truck that was following the protest crashed into the jeep popping one of the front tires. Although having just been struck, the jeep straightened, revved the engine, and continued to speed into a large crowd of women and children. The people in the jeep were not arrested or given a ticket but were personally escorted to the airport by police. This left me feeling worried and horrified because of what the police would allow to happen to protesters.

I knew that the fight for the rights of the oppressed in America was far from over. I continued to protest and create art about the systems created in America to discriminate against people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create my artwork in response to current events that I believe are heavily influencing America’s history. I focus on social justice issues that are highly politicized like women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, the equality of people of color, and gun rights to name a few. My paintings and drawings are created in a realistic style for my message to be clear to my audience.

My artwork consists of primarily oil paintings and charcoal drawings. I create portraits of others who have experienced tragedy and hardship because of their race, ethnicity, and gender. I try to celebrate those who have lost their lives from tragedy or who are known for controversy. I want people like the victims of police violence to be remembered for who they were not the way that they were killed. My artwork celebrates the oppressed and brings new perspectives to those who do not understand my side of these issues. I create raw scenes that are made to get under the skin of my viewers.

I hope that my artwork inspires those to fight for the rights of the oppressed and create change in today’s America. I am most proud of my portrait of Lia Thomas. I have this picture on my Instagram and it has gained the most traction not because people like it but because they hate it. To be honest, when I first heard of this controversy I was uneducated and was unsure about the fairness of transgender people competing in sports as well. I then did research into how many tests, and how long transgender athletes have to wait until training and competing.

Simple research into what they have to undergo assured me that this is fair. People are very quick to judge and even some people I am close to have concern over this issue, but what if this was your child? What if your child loved sports? What if they went through an extremely uncomfortable transition of changing genders in a country that is against them, and then they wanted to play sports? Would you say yes if they were a transgender boy but no if they were a transgender girl? I think these are valid questions. Transgender people are just trying to be their true authentic selves.

I set myself apart from others because my work is shocking. I want my message to be clear and for the audience to feel something when they see my work. I want my audiences to immediately understand what my narrative is. I try to create intensity through realism to be “in the face” of the viewer.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think the most surprising thing that people may not know about me is that I have been through a lot in my life. I think that is a big reason why I feel the need to fight for the rights of others because life has not always been fair to me. Through my first relationship in high school, my boyfriend isolated me from my friends and family and resorted to trying some very risky things.

I started to lose even more friends, I didn’t know how to find closeness in relationships with people after this relationship ended. He stalked me for some time after that and I did not deal with the trauma that I endured. I then began two other relationships with someone who groomed me and then a narcissist. I have been successful throughout my life but I have gone through a lot that is easily overlooked.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/303kobayashi_art/