Yuji Susaki

The apartment complexes of my childhood in the 1960s and early 1970s were the epitome of high-growth Japan. Hundreds of families lived in the dozens of geometric housing complexes that soared to the heights, with hopeful working couples and many energetic children. Every one of them was experiencing...

The apartment complexes of my childhood in the 1960s and early 1970s were the epitome of high-growth Japan. Hundreds of families lived in the dozens of geometric housing complexes that soared to the heights, with hopeful working couples and many energetic children. Every one of them was experiencing the economic growth of Japan. I grew up there, and ever since I can remember, I have been sensitive to the difference between the "light and shadow" of the flowers and deciduous trees on the south side of the housing complex and the moss and ferns on the north side, and my visual acuity has increased over the years. In contrast to the rapid economic growth of my childhood, I was also influenced by fantastical works that seemed to capture the struggles of the people of that time. The imagination and delusional ideas that I developed during my childhood are still at the core of my work as infantilism. What he considers most important in his creations is his own "conscience and true heart. Conscience" here refers to the judgment created by reason, while "true heart" refers to the desire of the artist as a creator. Of course, there are times when I give priority to my conscientious judgment as an author, and there are times when I come up with rational ideas from my true heart. To simultaneously reflect the conflicts that arise in between these two in one's work is risky and creates a kind of instability. However, while yin and yang, front and back, are seemingly opposites, I feel that they are actually two worlds in one. The process of polishing the sense of "conscience" and "true heart" asserting themselves in the work. This kind of creation on the edge of art is what I am pursuing. I think I am drawn to what lies between the "light" and the "shadow. By cutting out the "front" and the "back" of human beings, I am creating works that go deeper into "what it means to be human," and recreating the world of "two sides of the same coin" that I smelled in my childhood through the hidden culture and customs of Japan.