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Title: Suffering being Born 2
Year: 2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 35x20x23 (cm)
This work is one of a series with the theme of suffering.
In this work, I made a sculpture of a newborn baby using wool fibers.
The main sufferings in life that the Buddha preaches are birth, aging, illness, and death.
Birth is blessed by parents and others, so you may be wondering why it is included in suffering. However, if you are not born, you will not experience aging, illness, or death. Being born is the beginning of experiencing suffering.
Besides aging, illness, and death, not being able to get something you want can also cause suffering.
Yet, we live in the hope that only fun and good things will happen in our daily lives. By recognizing that life is more likely to experience suffering, if we can alleviate our desires a little, we may be able to live comfortably.
Title: Suffering being Born 3
Year:2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 38x20x20 (cm)
Title: Suffering being 1
Year:2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 40x30x20 (cm)
Title: Suffering being Born
Year:2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 40x27x14(cm)
Title: Oiran Clog
Year:2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 24x24x10 cm
I intertwined wool fibers with needles. It will lose its shape when untied. I expressed the transience of matter.
The history of human clothing has evolved to symbolize wealth and authority, and to pursue beauty rather than comfort. It is modeled after the clogs worn by high-class Japanese courtesans called Oiran.
Oiran had to wear costumes weighing over 30kg including 7kg clogs for the parade, and clogs that a normal person could hardly stand on.Chanel freed women from corsets and bonnets. Born for exercise, sneakers are now widely used in everyday life.
We must respect our cultural identities and traditions and freely express beauty and wealth through our clothing. However, in the past, there were costumes that had to be worn even if they hurt and were heavy. We share the desire to further develop women's human rights, which have been improved through the efforts of many women.
Title: Memory- Sneaker
Year: 2022
Media: Wool Fiber
Dimension: 26 x 10 x10 cm
Using wool fibers, I punched needles and hardened them into the shape of my worn-out sneaker. Looking at the history of clothing, luxury was valued as a symbol of wealth and power rather than comfort. People have endured wearing high heels and corsets to look beautiful even though their legs and waist hurt. The Oiran clogs I made before this work are so tall and heavy that ordinary people cannot walk on them. In modern times, the code of clothing has become much looser. In creating this work, I observed my sneaker, and was surprised to find that a single sneaker had a variety of designs as well as functionality. I think sneakers that can be stylish without pain are a good new perspective.
Title:Navel cord
Year: 2022
Media: Wiire, Fiber
Dimension: 8 x8 x 50 cm 3”x3”x20”
In Japan, there is a custom to keep part of the umbilical cord in a paulownia box as a symbol of the bond between mother and child. The mother supplies nutrients to the fetus through the placenta, and waste products are sent to the mother through the placenta. The placenta and umbilical cord are lifelines for the fetus, and after they have completed their function, they are separated from the uterus and expelled with the baby. It plays a very important role in the birth of new life, but after giving birth, it is thrown away without particular care. It can be said to be a symbol of unconditional love, and I can see the merciful love that Buddha preached there.
Title: Monet's Garden Carp and Water Lily
Year:2021
Media: Silk Organza, Acid Dye, Pigment
Dimension: 20" x 40" x 12", 50 x 100 x 30(cm)
This work was created with the theme of Monet's garden. Monet mainly painted garden plants, but I imagined that if I looked into his garden pond, carps might be swimming gracefully. And the pond may have a paintbrush that he dropped while working. Monet was a painter who advocated an impressionist way of looking at things, so he created paintings with an emphasis on raw nature, especially the state of light. I imagined Monet's garden and drew what might be there.
Interview
1) What’s your background?
Fashion designer is my first career. I have a bachelor's degree from Kyoto University of Art and Design and a master's degree from the Pratt Institute. While studying them, I also learned multiple craft techniques such as kimono dyeing, pottery, and Japanese embroidery. I am still learning Tsuzureori (Japanese tapestry ) and Japanese lacquering in Kyoto, a city of craftsmen. I respect the rational handling of materials and abundant techniques that our predecessors developed over a long period of time. I also recognize the importance of deepening my learning in the academic fields of art, including aesthetics. I believe that both are important to create innovative works.
2) What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?
I think the award is proof that artists have been able to contribute to society in some way. The award will be encouraging to continue artist activities, and I hope that it will be a good opportunity for more people to know my work.
3) What do you think is the role of art in the world today?
In the world of business, art may be just one product of economic activity. However, many artists try to exist outside the framework of capitalist economy and economic supremacy. They take social issues seriously, enlighten people through their work, and find value in creating a better society.
In today's world, we tend to judge things short-sightedly, whether it's profit or loss, friend or foe. National and interpersonal relationships that are based on interests alone lead to wars and crimes, leave vulnerable people behind, and lead to an increasingly “unkind” world where humanitarian assistance is not a priority.
In such a trend, artists are incorporating issues such as discrimination based on gender and race, poverty, and environmental destruction into their works. They sometimes appeal to people about such problems through their works, and also show how to solve those problems by proposing new ways of looking at things.From this point of view, I believe that the existence of artists is essential for humankind.
4) What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?
The number of virtual exhibitions is increasing, and I welcome this trend. For artists, the burden of carrying the work can be reduced, and viewers can see the works anytime, anywhere. As for actual exhibitions, museums and galleries are concentrated in large cities, and only those who can go there during the exhibition can be seen. I think Metaverse will solve the disadvantages that cannot be met in person.
5) What are your most significant professional achievements?
I am working on innovative ideas and works.Here are two examples of innovative work that I have accomplished. Developing Japanese Yuzen dyeing, I created a drawing work with my own technique of layering cloth and applying the Yuzen technique. I also created a series of lace and embroidered shirt parts, Love for All Things, using discarded threads and water-soluble cloth.
6) What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?
I believe that art can heal and uplift people. My art is also created with the intention of healing and encouragement. But my work reminds people of death, suffering and fear. People try to avoid thinking about death, suffering, and fear in their daily lives.
But I dare to give them a chance to think about them. Anxiety and fear are amplified when you try to get rid of the facts you have to face.
You die sooner or later, and there are things you can't have no matter how much you want them. Luckily, even if you get a lot of what you want, the more you get, the more painful it will be to lose because the amount of losing will increase. Endless desires bring suffering. Fear arises because you do not want to die or lose what you have gained.
I know from my life experience that even the most privileged people have worries and suffering.
I myself have had a hard time, but if I look around the world, there are many people who are going through even more difficult lives. I think it's important to realize that we are very lucky just to be alive, and that spiders, mosquitoes, and other small insects that humans dislike are doing their best to survive.
When we can think of all living things instead of thinking only of our own interests, we have less anxiety, fear and desire.
This is the form of compassion taught by the Buddha, and I am working on it through my art.
7) What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?
Drawing and modeling are one form of artistic expression, and traditional art techniques are not essential. Currently, I am mainly working on textiles and crafts, but I am also interested in digital technologies such as video editing and animation. After practicing weaving and lacquer, I would like to learn them.
Many young people are naturally familiar with the digital world, and I think they are in an environment where they can do anything with a convenient computer. However, if everything is done on a computer, the experience that you can use your whole body will be greatly reduced, and I think you will lose your mental and physical balance. You may make new discoveries not only through searching on your computer, but also through unexpected encounters on the go. I recommend that you take an interest in various things and have precious experiences including failures.
8) In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?
In the next five years, I would like to do more experimental work using the various techniques that I have learned so far, as well as the weaving and lacquer that I am currently learning. I also want to use digital equipment to expand my range of expression and create new works, and to convert past works into completely new digital works.
I noticed that bony creatures, regardless of type or gender, had bones of the same color and shape, and bones became a symbol of equality for me. A spider's web is his catcher of fortune that brings prey to the spider. By changing the perspective in this way, I think that the negative image of skeletons and spider webs can be seen positively. I would like to capture disgust and dislike from a new perspective and create works that can be transformed into good images.
The Collectors Art Prize awarded to artists who have created exceptional and thought-provoking work that pushes the boundaries of their medium and engages with significant social and cultural issues.
Collectors Art Prize recognizes outstanding achievements in contemporary art by celebrating the work of extraordinary artists whose practices are among the most innovative and influential of our time.