Aki Sasamoto’s art is precisely made to show her total lack of control. It’s complicated

Aki Sasamoto was feeling more out of control than usual, thanks to a kidney condition that prevented her from drinking and her unplanned pregnancy. The Japanese-born, New York-based artist embraced and channelled these feelings as best she knew how, meticulously crafting sculptures that reflect on her lack of control. Part of an artist profile series by the nonprofit organisation Art21, An Artist Walks into a Bar is framed around an exchange with a bartender who dutifully tunes in as Sasamoto reflects on her tumultuous year in a film that, like Sasamoto’s work, brims with surprises, deadpan whimsy and clever musings on the creative life.