A Painter's Story
On these pages you can delve deeper into his world.
The artist statements have been transformed into stories that clearly explain the background and thoughts behind the creation of the work.
Please take a look.
-A Journey to Find the Heart-
Chapter 1: Yearning for the Unknown
From an early age, he felt a strong fascination with creating things with his hands, whether it be painting, clay, or origami.
When he was in elementary school, the home video game console "Family Computer" was released, and it completely changed his world.
He became obsessed with role-playing games, and the excitement led him to devour game books and fantasy novels.
One day, he heard a rumor that there were manga in the library, so he went to check it out.
There, he came across a manga called "AKIRA." The story was complex and he couldn't fully understand it, but he was captivated by the overwhelming amount of illustrations, their power, and the unique worldview they presented.
During the 1980s and 1990s, new worlds continuously emerged for him. Games, novels, manga, music, and other unfamiliar realms unfolded before him, and he became deeply fascinated and absorbed in them.
Chapter 2: Connected Emotions
During his school days, he had a hard time fitting in with his classmates and experienced many situations that hurt his self-esteem.
He learned to adapt to those around him, but in the process, he gradually became emotionally drained.
He created an image of freezing his heart to avoid getting hurt, and an image of an "unbreakable stick" to resist the malice around him.
Yet, sometimes his heart would overflow, leaving him feeling helpless.
That was when he began spending hours away from school in a dimly lit, prefabricated second-hand bookstore.
The "unbreakable stick" he created around this time is depicted as a "sword" in his works, and the quiet atmosphere of the second-hand bookstore is also reflected in his art.
The various feelings he experienced during this time continue to influence his current creative endeavors. The connections between past and present thoughts form the core of his work.
During this period, he came across a manga called "AKIRA." The story was complex and he couldn't fully understand it, but he was captivated by the overwhelming amount of images, their power, and their unique worldview.
In the 1980s and 1990s, new worlds were emerging for him one after another. Games, novels, manga, music, and other previously unknown realms spread out before him, and he became fascinated and deeply absorbed in them.
Chapter 3: What Matters
After failing the entrance exam to an art college, he got a job at a photography equipment wholesaler after graduating from high school. Eventually, he was transferred and had to live alone for the first time, away from his family.
As he spent more time alone, he naturally began to reflect on many things, and his desire to make "drawing" the center of his life grew stronger. In the end, he decided to quit his job and take the entrance exam for an art college.
Even after entering junior college, he continued to feel that he "had to do something different from other people," and became overly particular about the materials and techniques he used.
However, no matter how much trial and error he went through, the feeling of unease that "Is this really what I wanted to do?" never went away.
He then realized that the source of this discomfort was the anxiety of needing to catch up with others and being bound by the values of "art" defined by someone else.
He decided to confront his own thoughts more closely, not be swayed by others' notions of "art," and create his own "art."
So, rather than using special art materials, he decided to challenge himself to see how far he could express the world he imagined using pencils, a medium that had always been around for him.
Chapter 4: Drawing the Heart
The motif he chose to paint was the "heart."
Depicting the "heart" may seem significant, but his choice was actually quite simple.
He wanted to keep creating new things rather than painting the same subjects repeatedly.
Since the "heart" is not constant and its image changes each time, he thought it would be possible to create infinitely interesting variations.
Instead of projecting his thoughts onto something that exists in reality, he sought to imagine the shape of a "heart" from scratch in his mind and then create it.
To avoid the self-righteousness and narcissism that can arise from expressing one's inner images, he incorporated objectivity through elements like humor and surrealism. He also observed and questioned his own "heart" to avoid over-beautifying or degrading his images, in an attempt to uncover the "real thing" within.
For him, this process was a way to recapture the joy of creation he felt as a child. The trial and error he engaged in to rediscover what was most important in his work made his art deeper and richer.
However, despite his efforts, the feeling of unease—wondering, "Is this really what I wanted to do?"—never entirely went away.
He then realized that this discomfort stemmed from the anxiety of trying to keep up with others and being constrained by external definitions of "art."
He decided to confront his own thoughts more closely, to not be swayed by others' perceptions of "art," and to create his own version of "art."
Thus, rather than using specialized art materials, he chose to challenge himself by expressing the world he imagined with pencils—simple tools that have always been available to him.
Chapter 5: The Impact of Technology
His works are created with overlapping vertical pencil lines.
At the time, he had forgotten basic drawing techniques and ended up drawing in an unconventional way, using only vertical lines for shading.
But when he saw the finished product, he felt as if he had finally discovered something he had been searching for for so long.
He starts with a light pencil and gradually switches to a darker pencil as he builds up the lines.
Basically, he repeats this process with pencils ranging from 10H to 10B.
His works, characterized by hard lines, have a soft atmosphere when viewed as a whole. This contradiction gives his works their unique texture.
Chapter 6: Mind and Skill
With every line he drew on paper, he felt as though he was inscribing a thought along with it.
When he was feeling good or in good health, the lines would be straight, while when he was feeling bad, the lines would be crooked.
Previously, he had disliked incorporating distorted lines into his work, but now he feels that his art, which contains both straight and distorted lines, as well as elements of beauty and roughness, expresses his own "authenticity."
He discovered this unique style of painting by chance, but his desire to give form to his "heart" and the technique to express it came together in a miraculous way, making it the perfect method for depicting the various worlds he imagines.
This technique, which embodies a duality of hardness and softness, with each layered line being both a trace of his hand and a reflection of his innermost thoughts, is perhaps the means by which he can best express his own feelings.
Chapter 7: Never-ending Journey
Ever since he can remember, he has loved creating things.
However, after deciding to become a painter, he sometimes finds the process of creating art to be a struggle.
He believes that if he ever loses interest in painting, he might stop. But if he still has a passion for it, he will likely continue painting even if he loses interest in other aspects.
He feels that the journey of exploring his own heart is still ongoing. Although he doesn’t know how far it will take him, he will continue to create.
He’s not sure if this makes him happy, but he at least thinks it’s a positive thing.
And he hopes there will be someone to join him on this journey.
