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Meaningful Artworks from Yamada’s Formative Teenage Years
I feel Aoi’s kindness and warmth in her words about ‘seeking out’ and ‘listening to the messages of the artwork.’ Does this feeling stem from her own experiences of being welcomed by others?
Aoi Yamada: That might be the case. Like anyone else, there are times when I don’t have enough energy to fully engage with art, and other times when my creative drive is so strong that I end up overlooking other people’s work. In those situations, I often come back to the art at a later time.
Still, many of my fans come to embrace my expressions and discover their own ways to enjoy them. I also sometimes feel like the artwork itself welcomes me. For example, my favorite costume artist, Kozue Hibino, creates costumes for a dance performance series called “UP AND DOWN,” which is themed around fairy tales. When I attended one of those performances recently, it really lifted my spirits.
You moved to Tokyo alone at 16, but are there any artworks from your teenage years that hold special significance for you?
Aoi Yamada: One experience that still resonates with me is seeing “The Tailor’s Circus,” organized by musician Daiho Soga, along with Ghandi (CINEMA dub MONKS) and fashion designer Takayuki Suzuki.
“The Tailor’s Circus” features very few spoken words, yet it powerfully conveys emotions that words alone can’t express—sharpness, cries, and warmth. Experiencing it helped lift the worries I had at the time, opening my eyes to a whole new perspective on the world.
