HELLO YUTAKA, THANK YOU FOR COLLABORATING WITH 4BYSIX FOR THE SECOND TIME! CAN YOU TELL US HOW CULTURAL CONTEXT, WHETHER ROOTED IN TRADITION OR URBANISATION, INFLUENCES THE THEMES YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR PRACTICE?

Cultural context always surrounds me, but I don’t try to express it directly. Whether in cities or traditions, I’m more interested in what remains when everything is removed, what is “empty” or “neutral.”

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO COLLABORATE WITH 4BYSIX AGAIN? HOW DOES OUR MISSION AND USE OF RECLAIMED MATERIALS CONTINUE TO RESONATE WITH THE VALUES OR THEMES IN YOUR ARTISTIC PRACTICE?

I really respect 4BYSIX’s concept of giving new life to discarded materials. It deeply connects with my own way of working, layering and reworking over and over again, a process of up-cycling what might seem forgotten or unnecessary.

HOW DID YOU FIND WORKING ON THE TARP COMPARED TO THE BUS PANEL? DID THE MATERIAL INSPIRE ANY SPECIFIC VISUAL RESPONSES?

The tarp felt softer and more unstable than the bus panel. That instability made me think more carefully about balance and fragility in the image.

AS A RECURRING FIGURE APPEARS THROUGHOUT MUCH OF YOUR WORK, CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT WHAT THIS FIGURE REPRESENTS AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE PIECE YOU HAVE PRODUCED FOR 4BYSIX?

The figure represents the shared human outline, without identity, race, or status.
It’s like a mirror that reflects the viewer rather than showing someone specific.

IS THERE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIS FIGURE AND YOUR USE OF COLOUR? DOES THE PALETTE INFORM THE EMOTIONAL TONE OR MEANING OF THE FIGURE AND ITS PLACEMENT ON THE SURFACE?

Color is not emotional in my work. It helps define the space between visibility and invisibility of the figure.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH TO MATERIAL SELECTION AND HOW IT INFORMS THE CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION OF YOUR PIECES?

What I keep in mind is that similar materials can be found in many countries. It reminds me that art and materials can connect across different places and cultures.

DOES SUSTAINABILITY SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE YOUR ART PRACTICE, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF APPROACH TO MATERIAL AND TO METHODS OF PRODUCTION? DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK AS A RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OR A REFLECTION ON THE IMPERMANENCE OF MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES?

I don’t make art to talk about sustainability.
In the long flow of time, I just hope my works will eventually return to nature.