INDEX
No Right Answers in Art or Life
During university, you formed the comedy group Rahmens with your classmate Kentaro Kobayashi, marking several turning points in your life. You seem to have a wide range of activities in sculpture, comedy, and theater, giving the impression that you’re constantly forging your own path rather than sticking to a fixed choice.
Katagiri： Meeting my partner Kentaro Kobayashi during school and forming Rahmens allowed me to explore various expressive possibilities through our comedy shows. Along the way, I’ve taken on roles as a comedian, actor, and voice actor, as well as pursuing my artistic endeavors. I appreciate the immediacy and clarity of evaluation in comedy and theater—seeing whether something resonates with the audience right away. Through performing comedy and theater, I’ve realized my desire to connect with the audience and receive their feedback directly, which I believe has influenced my style in clay art. Since there are no right answers in life, I can only pursue my own form of expression in the moment.
Does this sense of “no right answers” also affect how you engage with art today?
Katagiri： Yes, definitely. If you approach contemporary art, which can seem difficult at first glance, with the mindset that there’s “no right answer,” you can enjoy the feeling of uncertainty without being on guard. Overthinking things can take the fun out of it. For me, it’s more important to enjoy the feeling of not understanding than to actually grasp the art.
I learned that the works of Asako Fujikura you showed me today are inspired by the landscapes of suburban cities where I grew up, like highways, shopping malls, dense housing, and farmlands, depicted through unique 3DCG worlds. I was surprised to see how close to home they were! Even when I recognized the familiar landscapes, Fujikura expressed them using 3DCG, sculpture, and words, creating an intriguing and mysterious world.
There were words next to the objects, which piqued my curiosity, so I leaned in to read them. To be honest, I didn’t fully understand them, but I believe art doesn’t have to be something we understand. It’s better to accept the unknown and enjoy it. I relished the mystery of Fujikura’s expressions and left with the question, “What is this?” still lingering.
Asako Fujikura’s Sunlight Announcements / 日当たりの予告群 Venue: WAITINGROOM
©︎Asako Fujikura, courtesy of the artist and WAITINGROOM
Asako Fujikura’s solo exhibition focuses on the depth of infrastructure that traverses urban and suburban landscapes, utilizing primarily 3DCG animation techniques. Centered around the themes of “Sunlight” and “Announcements,” which are fundamental to her creative process and consistently integrated into her works, the exhibition features new video pieces and flat sculptures within an installation space.
Exhibition Period: September 14, 2024 (Saturday) – October 20, 2024 (Sunday)
Address: 1F Nagashima Building, 2-14-2 Suidō, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
URL: https://waitingroom.jp/exhibitions/sunlight-announcements/
Asako Fujikura is participating in “AWT FOCUS” at Art Week Tokyo. She will also hold a talk session with Junko Oki at the “Meetup.”
For more details, visit: https://www.artweektokyo.com/awt-talks/meetup/
