Artist in conversation: Taiyo Okamoto
“A Tender Time” by Taiyo Okamoto is a solo show available until the 4th of October as part of the ongoing virtual solo shows we are presenting to a global audience.
If you have not visited the show yet, please do by clicking here.
Taiyo Okamoto grew up by the ocean in Karatsu, Japan, where he often spent his childhood days twilighting on the seawall; dreamily gazing at the vast sky, crashing waves, and flying fish. He has lived in New York City since 2002.
Painting, tearing, sculpting and collaging various textures of paper, particularly Japanese Inshu mulberry paper, Taiyo creates chigiri-e inspired art from small works to large installations.
Taiyo works in visual art, writing, and acting. He appears in legendary Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “HANAGATAMI”.
Follow Taiyo here.
- Tell us a little about yourself and your practice.
My name is Taiyo Okamoto. I came to New York in 2002 from Japan. I am a so called multi-disciplinary as I paint, make paper work, write and have acted as well. In the past several years I was mostly making paper works with Japanese washi paper (mulberry paper), from small works to portraits to a large installation, using a hari-e or chigiri-e inspired technique, which is tearing and sculpting each paper piece, then gluing them on canvases or paper. Texture and feelings are more important in my work than concepts, as I cherish the integrated sensations rather than something solid.
- Where did you learn your art? Have you been formally trained?
I have never learned what I’m doing. When I was 3 years old, I already knew that I was going to be an artist. However, it’s boring to just be an artist right away, so that I took a detour for many, many years. But art was always calling me, “Hey, when are we going to hang out again?” Then after turning 30 I finally decided to entrust that voice. I started with drawing for rehabilitation, then the paper work, painting and everything else began to bloom as I was hanging out with art.
- Have you been working on anything new recently?
It is Project Water which is featured in my virtual solo exhibition “A Tender Time.” Since 2019 I've been in a process of returning to myself. Because I took a detour as I mentioned, I forgot who I really was. During this process I became curious about water: the foundation of the body, Earth, etc… Then I began playing with water and using it as the medium for my paintings. Since it’s water and paint, their movement on the canvas never stops while the water is still fluid. This movement is fascinating so I began observing and photographing it. They are the beauty of moments. Just like poetry.
Also my attitude towards Instagram has completely changed. It’s like I am making a game board or something, which means that I am looking at my Instagram page vertically instead of horizontally. Each single post doesn’t mean much but together create a whole view, so we’ll see what it’s going to be later on.
- What are your thoughts in regards to the virtual exhibitions? Are they here to stay?
I think physical and virtual can both stay for a while. But not only virtual exhibitions, the virtual world will also develop more and more. I believe that sooner or later we will be able to project virtual galleries at home and see the artworks three-dimensionally. And not just seeing the artworks. By the time we can project virtual galleries at home, we will be able to dive into the world of someone’s digital art. It’ll be magical. I would like to dive into my Project Water images to feel what it’s like.
- What are you hoping to communicate with your solo virtual show available now on the Holy Art online gallery?
As I see the world now, we have been played by "What’s the correct information?”, "Who’s right and who’s wrong?”, "Justice or injustice”; you know, these polarized ideas. This is painful and noisy. We have done that enough in that old world. Ultimately we want to relax and feel peace so we can enjoy our time. So my approach now is, why don’t we feel relaxed and peace already before seeing things as problems and fixing them. That is why I wanted to present “A Tender Time” at this time of our lives. When we see the world, we see problematic stories and feel the needing to fix them, but if we feel tenderness, serenity and comfort first, then the noises of the world become quieter. That’s what I have been experiencing. Therefore I wanted to share that through the exhibition.
- What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
If you want to be a great artist, be one and live as one. Because if you keep wanting to be an artist, you just keep creating the reality that you still have not yet become. Because you are an artist! You can create that reality too. If you want to be healed, live as one who is already healed. It’s the same thing.