pienilusikka

“pienilusikka” is Finnish for “little spoon.” It is the label name of soft toys created by Yukimi Watanabe. She had selected this as the trade name for her artistic activities in hopes to instill her practice and creations with a sense of tenderness and warmth like a spoonful of sugar. Watanabe’s home is filled with animal figurines and a variety of picture books from all over the world that she has collected over the years. She expresses a great fondness for worlds that unfold through the stories of fairies, supernatural creatures, and animals that talk like humans. Laughing, she also mentions that she has always loved to dream, considering it as a reason for going to sleep. Placing herself in these tales and narratives is something that she finds most enjoyable and rewarding.

Watanabe is from Samani, a seaside town located at the southernmost tip of Hokkaido. Ever since her childhood she found herself surrounded by wild animals such as bears, foxes, and racoons, while there were horses at home as her family ran a ranch. As a child she would play by running around in the mountains. Growing up amidst this richly vast natural environment, Watanabe, while gazing at the wild animals that despite being in her surroundings she could never lay her hands on, had soon developed the desire to touch these endearing furry creatures. Her love for “living things” continued to increase, as she eventually started to reimagine even inanimate things like houses and trees as having faces. Watanabe laughs, saying that no matter how much older she gets, she is still always a child at heart.

Watanabe, who likes “furry creatures,” in time started creating soft toys. Having been good at making three-dimensional objects since she was little, creatures of the “Moke Moke Forest” was something that had come about naturally. Furry bodies and faces with a dozy-eyed gaze. The creatures instill those who upon at them with a sense of peace and calm, as if one could care less about trivial matters. Watanabe mentions that she wishes to create something that is not just cute, but also somewhat funny and nostalgic. The Moke Moke that Watanabe creates inspired by her love of stories, are sure to give rise to various tales of their own in the places they journey to.