Akiko Shinzato\u2019s jewelry pieces are someplace in between conceptual art and body modification. Meant as social commentary, her accessories question our ideas about beauty and the way these ideas inform our understanding of our social environment. \n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, jewelry that in one way or another connects with the human body is more than just ordinary jewelry,\u201d Shinzato relayed in an interview with Cotonoha. \u201cYou can touch it and enjoy it as conceptual art, or you can wear it as you would an ordinary piece of jewelry. This kind of jewelry is not merely placed on the body, but rather, becomes one with its wearer. Its conceptual jewelry. Its contemporary jewelry.”\n\n\n\n