About the artwork

Rice and art have a strong bond in common, both are essential to our well being, both sustain and nourish us in different ways!The title of this project, Everything’s Nice with American Rice is an ironic reference to a 1960’s advertising slogan that formed part of a campaign by the US food industry to penetrate and dominate global food markets. This work takes a playful but critical view of the globalized trade in commodities by proposing a radical “green” solution to the socalled free-trade agreements which promote the importation of American rice into the Japanese rice economy. Conceptually the project proposes an interlocking triangle whereby imported American rice is converted into “Bio-fuel” (ethanol) that, in turn is used to po-wer local rice cultivation equipment to produce Japanese rice; whilst at the same time helping to reduce the reliance upon imported fuel oil. In practical terms the project was realized as a boutique distillery, established on the main street of Matusdai.