Thursday, March 16, 2023

On the occasion of the group exhibition "Everyday Scenery" by Nanako Okawa, Yasuyoshi Tokida, and Haruna Niiya, we held a conversation with the three artists.

"Everyday Scenery" Nanako Okawa, Yasuyoshi Tokida, and Haruna Niiya exhibition

Interviewer: WallsTokyo Shimazu

 

 

About the exhibition title "Everyday Scenery"

 

Shimazu: For this exhibition, I first wanted to hold it with three artists, Ms. Okawa, Mr. Tokida, and Ms. Niiya, and then I titled it "Everyday Scenery," recalling various thoughts and feelings I had during the three years of corona infection.

As I mentioned in my statement, during the corona, I was physically unable to go outside, I couldn′t travel or go out to eat or even go to exhibitions very often, and I was forced to focus on the things around me for a long time.... ...I think it wasn′t just me, but the world was like that.

Eventually I began to hear the word "decluttering" a lot, and I think the point is that I began to think more and more about the things around me, whether I really need them or not, and to consider the details of the choices I was making. I don′t think I used to think that much about how this will become garbage someday, and then what happens after that. If I thought, "Oh, I want this," I would just buy it and be done with it, not really thinking about what happens after that. But recently, I have become more conscious of whether I really need it, which one I can use for a long time, whether it can be recycled, and so on. I think it has been three years since society as a whole has become like this, not just me.

 

 

Looking at our surroundings

 

I felt empathy for the works of the three artists, which are not about grandiose ...... themes such as social issues, but about looking at the world by looking at our feet, and that is how I planned this exhibition.

To proceed the interview from a slightly different angle, in the past, most women′s colleges had a department of domestic science. With the passage of time, the idea of women entering the home or becoming good wives and wise mothers became outdated, and I don′t know about today, but I don′t think there are many home economics departments.

But I think that domestic science was a pretty good study. Of course, it′s not that we should aim to be good wives and wise mothers or anything, but it′s about what we eat, what kind of nutrition it has, not just nutrition, but how to eat well, and how to wear clothes, not just to keep out the cold, but also what kind of fashion, but also fashion, more or less, is a way to express one′s principles, Moreover, I think it was a field of study and research that included design and technology, such as what detergent to use when washing clothes, how to maintain the texture and cleanliness of clothes, how this affects the human body and the environment, what kind of house to live in, and how to consider safe and comfortable living. The things and lifestyles around us may be ordinary and mundane, but I think they contain very serious themes such as how we should live our lives and how we should treat and think about the environment, including other people.

When I look at your works, they are very approachable, and I myself tend to use short-sighted expressions such as "cute" or "wonderful. ...... I think that looking at a work of art means not only looking at the surface layer, but also reading what is behind the surface layer through the surface layer. I feel that there is something solid behind the surface in the works of the three artists. At first glance, it feels approachable, but there is strength as a work of art at its core. It seems to me that this is similar to the strength of "living" that lies at the core of our daily lives.

 

 

Ask about each work

-------ここまで-------

I have just grouped the three of them together, but naturally, each of them has their own approach and focus on their own theme, so I would like to hear from them about that.

Shimazu: You have an interesting way of combining patterns and colors, as well as making designs of everyday objects, but you majored in woodblock printmaking for a long time, didn′t you?

Tokida: Yes, that′s right.

Shimazu: Could you tell us about the characteristics of woodblock prints?

Tokida: With lithographs, you can copy brushstrokes, but with woodblock prints, there is a strong degree of transformation of the handprint into something else. The original form appears as something completely different.

Shimazu: The handwriting and handprints are erased once and become flat. ......

Tokida: That′s right. I don′t want to directly show my own drawing, but rather, I like to express myself in such a way that my own feeling is not visible, and I think that is the reason why I work with woodblock prints.

Shimazu: I see. By the way, I always felt that the combination of colors in your work is very difficult to understand,

Tokida: That′s right. I do color sensitively, but when I exhibited in Ireland, I was impressed by the fact that people said the colors were very Japanese.

Shimazu: Really?

Tokida: I thought I was more influenced by Western tones. The colors I actually use may be quite a Japanese combination. I think the colors reflect the colors of the city and the place where I live. When I was in Aichi for graduate school, there were nothing but trees around me. Tokyo Zokei University also had nothing but trees.

Niiya: There was nothing but green and sky.

Tokida: At that time, most of your works were in natural colors, or grayish colors.

Niiya: So that′s why there are no primary colors in your works.

Shimazu: Are the colors in your works the colors of the ink itself?

Tokida: I don′t mix the colors that much. Swallow′s ink is very Japanese, isn′t it?　

Niiya: Oh, yes, that′s true.

Shimazu: What is Swallow?

Tokida: Swallow is a lithographic ink. Its base color is very Japanese.

Shimazu: By "Japanese-ish," do you mean that the tone is a little subdued?

Tokida: I have a vague feeling of it.

Niiya: When I exhibited my paintings in the U.S., I went to the U.S. The sunlight is very strong in the U.S. Maybe that′s why all the colors are so puffy. When I placed my paintings there, the colors of my paintings looked very dull.

Tokida: Did they look dull?

Niiya: It looked dull. When I was in Japan, I didn′t notice how dull the colors were, but when I went to other countries, I thought, "Wow, the colors are dull.

Tokida: Not to mix colors too much?

Niiya: Yes, that′s right. I realized that the sense of color varies depending on the country. A friend of mine told me that when he went to the U.S., he found the colors to be very hokey, and I thought to myself, "So that′s what it′s all about.

Tokida: Yes, I have that feeling. I feel like, "This color comes from this place," and I feel very comfortable with it.

Shimazu: So color is something that is unconsciously influenced by us.

Tokida: Well, I don′t pick up colors directly, but I think the atmosphere of the place also influences the colors I choose.

Shimazu: Are you conscious of colors in your daily life?

Tokida: I try to suppress other aspects of my work so that the colors of the paintings will be seen more clearly. For example, I hide primary colors. ......

Niiya: (When the primary colors are visible, it is a little unpleasant, isn′t it? The floor of my former studio was green,

Tokida: The painted one, right?

Niiya: Yes. I moved to avoid that.

Shimatsu: So it affects you that much.

Niiya: Yes, that′s right.

Tokida: No, I can′t see the picture anymore.

Shimatsu: There is something that I heard from Mr. Niiya yesterday that made me think, "Oh, I see. I don′t know if it is called deformation in terms of design or not, but you deform your motifs like ...... birds in a decorative way, so I was thinking that you were drawing from a general image. I thought it was just a rough image of what he was going to draw. However, when I heard what you said yesterday, I was surprised to hear that you actually observe and study the motifs carefully before drawing them.

Niiya: Surprisingly, he painted like "this, this, and this. Silkscreen is not a technique that allows for very detailed depiction.

Shimazu: Is it because the ink is applied directly on the surface, so it is not suitable for detailed depiction?

Niiya: Yes, if I make detailed depictions, I have to make many layers of prints. For example, if I were to paint grass, I would try to finish each grass in two printings. For example, if I were to paint a piece of grass, I would try to finish it in two prints, one for the light and one for the shadows. I try to reduce the number of steps to paint the whole picture, so I have to simplify something. Printmaking takes a tremendous amount of time, and I kind of want to just cut it off and cut it off already. Besides, if I draw too much, the impression I saw at the time will diminish. ...... was only for a moment, so I felt that if I described too much, I would miss the point in order to create this instantaneous atmosphere in the picture. I once described too much, and I felt that being too descriptive was not right for me. I wanted to leave room for the viewer to think, or rather, to think. ......

Tokida: A margin, room for imagination.

Niiya: Yes, I want the viewer to imagine. I think that′s how it came to be what it is today.

Shimazu: You draw pictures based on what you actually saw, don′t you?

Niiya: Yes, that′s right.

Shimatsu: For example, when you see a bird, do you look it up?

Niiya: Oh, yes, I do. Whenever I feel like it. I don′t know much about them because it′s just when I feel like it.

Shimazu: There was a piece called "Pigeons of the Sea," which I researched in order to explain it to the audience. It was the first time I had heard of a "green pigeon," but it really is a pigeon with a greenish color like that, isn′t it?

Niiya: Yes, they are pigeons. They are usually in the mountains and come to the sea to drink seawater during the season. I happened to see it and was impressed, like a legendary Pokémon, and thought, "Oh, that′s the blue pigeon I′ve heard so much about. I thought it was interesting. It was a personal impression. I felt that even if I told people in words how beautiful it was, they didn′t really get it. ...... I don′t really believe in the power of words, or maybe it′s just my personality that I don′t have confidence in words, but I felt that my words were like a push in the arm for a goodwill. I don′t really believe in the power of words, or maybe it′s just my personality that I don′t have confidence in words, but I feel that my words are like a push on a goodwill. ......

Shimazu: In the case of words, even if I say 10 words to explain one thing, I still feel like I haven′t said enough. ......

Niiya: Yes, I feel as if I am not conveying the message at all. My way of thinking is negative to begin with, so I try to paint a very cheerful picture, but emotionally, I forget about sadness and ...... such things in my daily life, but I still feel sadness and disgust at a moment′s notice. I think that everyone has such a feeling. I think that everyone has such a tendency. So when I say that I paint pictures to make myself feel cheerful, I am reminded that I am still stuck in sadness, which makes me feel very sad.

Tokida: I try not to let my mind be either. I don′t want to paint sad or happy pictures. I don′t want to paint sad or happy pictures.

Niiya: Yes, I want to keep it flat. I want to keep my paintings flat. ...... So natural things are very flat, so they bloom and wither in the same cycle, and then bloom again as if nothing had happened. ......

Tokida: That is exactly right.

Niiya: Seeing that kind of thing makes me feel relieved, or ...... it′s like I′m aware of it because of sadness. When I was a child, I didn′t really like flowers, in fact, I disliked them. ......

Shimazu: Eh? Is that so? That′s surprising.

Niiya: That′s right. I felt many things during my life, and I gradually came to like flowers and natural things, and I started to pay attention to them.

Shimazu: Your pictures make me say "Wow, they are cute" or "they are wonderful," but I feel that there is more to them than that. You mentioned negativity, but that part doesn′t show on the surface, but it seems to support your work. ......

Niiya: I am very careful about that, and I think that if I don′t have something to show in the cuteness, people will just drift away. I think it′s boring, and I try to make sure that it′s not just cute.

Shimazu: The great thing about your work is that you don′t show the full extent of your greatness. ......

Tokida: It is restrained,

Shimazu: Yes, it is. the ghastliness is restrained.

Niiya: Oh, thank goodness.

Shimazu: And Ms. Okawa also has a nostalgic lyrical feeling, but he also has a bit of a dry feeling. As written in the statement of this exhibition, it is like a snapshot, taken in a snapshot without any particular feelings, which is very interesting. The colors of water-based woodblock prints, the blurred tones, the motifs, and the nostalgic feeling, all seem to fit the medium of woodblock prints.

Okawa: Once the work is printed, it is more difficult for personal feelings and emotions to be expressed directly. I feel more at home now that I don′t express myself so much in my work.

Tokida: What do you like about woodblock prints?

Okawa: I really like the texture or the flatness of woodblock prints.

Shimatsu: How do you choose the theme?

Okawa: Themes are usually based on what I have seen or experienced, and I create within the range of my senses.

Shimazu: I see. Well, rather than a grand theme or something far away from where I am, I choose ......

Okawa: My character itself is rather simple, and I don′t want to do anything too flashy, so I guess my pictures come naturally that way.

Shimazu： What kind of process do you go through in the creation process? Do you start with a sketch or a photograph? ......

Okawa: Yes, I often refer to photographs. I usually take pictures, and sometimes I go back and draw something I took a long time ago.

Shimazu: Do you take pictures for your works?

Okawa: Something like that. They are all not very good photographs. If a picture is too good, I feel that it is already finished, so I don′t think it is necessary to make a picture of it.

Shimazu: It′s interesting that your photographs are not good enough. I wonder if there is some room for creativity.

Tokida: It looks like a photograph, but it also looks like a memory, or your own memories.

Shimazu: Yes, it looks like a memory. It also seems to fit the unique texture of water-based woodblock prints. In your pictures, there is a sense of tension when something exists in a space. ...... I don′t know how to describe it, but I get the impression that there is a tension that is created when space and things come into contact. I don′t think I′m trying to depict that, but I do get the impression of a tension.

 

When I look around the world from your point of view, that is, through your works, I feel that "the world is not so bad after all" and I feel a little saved (laughs). I think it is because I can reaffirm the richness of being happy with who I am, which is not the richness of material goods, but the richness of being able to live within one′s means, or to put it more exaggeratedly.

Thank you very much for your time today.