HELLO AYANE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING 4BYSIX, IT’S WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU  INVOLVED IN THIS COLLABORATION. TO BEGIN, COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT  FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST? 

I’ve loved drawing since I was a child. After seeing works by late 19th-century  painters in magazines, I initially aspired to become an illustrator.  I started creating in the way I do now after entering university. I began to strongly  wish that the country, environment, and daily life around me and for those close to me could become better and easier to live in. (I call this desire “the wish to make  things a bit better.”) Since then, I’ve been experimenting with how I can contribute  through the form of expression I specialise in. I’m still in the midst of trial and error,  both in my art and in my life.  

YOUR WORK OFTEN CAPTURES A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN STILLNESS AND  EMOTION, WITH A DEEP SENSITIVITY TO COLOR AND FORM. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE  RECURRING IDEAS OR FEELINGS THAT GUIDE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? 

The central theme throughout my work is “Siblings.”  

Here, “Siblings” refers to people who have a brother or sister with a disability or  illness. At the core of my practice lies an exploration of family relationships seen  from their perspective.  

The primary emotion that guides my creative process is anger. I’m not particularly  short-tempered, but I’m the kind of person who holds onto things and remembers  them for a long time. When I create, I draw on those memories - bringing back the  feelings of anger I’ve stored, as the foundation for my work.  

The anger I feel also contains other emotions: the frustration and helplessness that  come from recognising one’s own weakness; the bitterness of realising that emotions  alone cannot overcome physical limitations; and the sadness that arises from  confronting unfairness.  

Although anger forms the emotional basis of my work, I approach my paintings with  a rational sense of resignation. When we place expectations on things, we inevitably get hurt when the outcome isn’t what we hoped for. Resignation, then, becomes a  means of protecting myself.  

But of course, it’s not that easy to remain unhurt. I want to capture that contradiction, the coexistence of emotional strength and vulnerability through the posture or gaze of my subjects.  

THE TEXTURES AND LAYERS IN YOUR PAINTINGS OFTEN FEEL ALMOST TACTILE OR  ALIVE. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO MATERIAL AND HOW  SURFACE PLAYS A ROLE IN COMMUNICATING EMOTION OR ATMOSPHERE? 

Since painting is my main medium, I’m not particularly skilled at creating three dimensional works. Because of that, I think my longing for sculpture and 3D modeling is reflected in the  textures of my paintings.  

Although I sometimes depict motifs with an awareness of the human body, I always  aim to create a clay-like texture, something moist and tactile. Rather than representing living human beings, I tend to think of my motifs as  resembling Katashiro (形代) - a paper or doll used as a symbolic substitute for a  person in Japanese purification rituals. It is believed that one’s impurities or  misfortunes are transferred to the Katashiro, which is then released or burned to  remove bad luck and bring spiritual cleansing.  

THIS IS YOUR FIRST COLLABORATION WITH 4BYSIX, AND YOUR PAINTING HAS  BEEN CREATED ON A RECYCLED PLASTIC PANEL. HOW DID WORKING WITH THIS  UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIAL SHAPE YOUR CONCEPT OR PROCESS FOR THE PIECE? 

I usually paint on cotton or linen canvas, so working with tarpaulin material was a  completely new experience for me. At first, I planned to create two companion pieces based on my previous drawings. However, since the fabric was thicker than what I normally use, it was difficult to  make small works. As a result, I decided not to cut the fabric and instead turned it  into a single large piece.  

Because I work with oil paints, another challenge was that I couldn’t apply the paint  directly onto the tarpaulin. To solve this, I adjusted the ground layer to create a  suitable base for painting. It truly became a process of trial and error.  

In terms of concept, I don’t feel that there was a major change. However, the fact that  this painting was created on a material that was originally meant to be discarded  seems to have given the work an added sense of empowerment.

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SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFORMATION ARE CENTRAL THEMES FOR 4BYSIX. DO  THESE IDEAS RESONATE WITH YOUR OWN ARTISTIC VALUES OR THE WAY YOU THINK  ABOUT THE ROLE OF ART IN THE WORLD TODAY? 

It’s difficult for me to find a direct connection between my artistic themes and the  idea of “sustainability” in the environmental or ecological sense.  However, my approach to art-making deeply resonates with the kind of support  activities that 4BYSIX promotes.  

I believe that the sustainability of human society cannot be achieved without welfare  not only from an ecological standpoint, but from a social one as well. Although this may slightly shift the focus of the discussion, I feel genuinely happy  that, as an artist not an environmental activist or a capitalist, I can collaborate directly with initiatives like this.  

COLOUR IN YOUR WORK OFTEN FEELS INTUITIVE AND EMOTIONAL. HOW DO YOU  CHOOSE YOUR PALETTE? IS IT SOMETHING YOU PLAN FROM THE START, OR DOES IT  EVOLVE NATURALLY AS THE PAINTING DEVELOPS? 

For the monochrome works like the ones I’m exhibiting this time, I decide in  advance which colors to use for the background, as well as for the whites and blacks.  I use them with the intention of expressing a cold, clay-like quality. Because of that, I  don’t reconsider the color choices each time I make a monochrome piece.  

On the other hand, when I use colors other than black and white, I think very  carefully about the color combinations as I paint. I’m not so confident in my sense of  color that I can rely purely on intuition, so I usually decide on the overall color  scheme through drawings before moving on to the oil painting stage.  

That said, my process is not entirely detached from emotion. I pay close attention to  ensure that the colors don’t become too scattered, so that the impression of the chosen  motif or subject can be strongly conveyed - and so that the depicted object can have a  tangible, almost physical presence as a figurative image.  

FINALLY, WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS,  EXHIBITIONS, OR IDEAS THAT YOU’RE PARTICULARLY EXCITED TO EXPLORE? 

I don’t have any upcoming projects or exhibitions scheduled at the moment, so for  now, I suppose it’s a period of input and exploration for me.  

(Of course, I’d always be happy to have an exhibition anytime! laughs)  

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck with the retrospective, personal approach I’ve  been taking toward my artistic themes. So, I’ve started studying areas that interest me, such as theories and histories of care, and sociological research methods - little by  little.  

Because the theme I work with inevitably contains aspects of harm and consumption,  I’ve also begun attending lectures that allow me to reflect on those issues. (I’ve only  attended one so far, though.)  

In addition, I’m thinking about revisiting and refining a soft sculpture I made once  back in my student days, and I’d like to explore ways of presenting work that go  beyond painting.