Interview: Ai Makita 2022 NYC

I originally connected with Japanese painter in 2019 in Sausalito and San Francisco to discuss her hyper dimensional abstract works (2019 interview). Two years after the pandemic we reconnect over Zoom as she returns to New York city to develop new large works, sculptures and video collaborations.  

We discuss the pandemic, its effect on art, Japan, interest/relationship with disaster.

Robert:
Maybe we can start with, the big question is, how has your art responded to the last two years? COVID, the pandemic etc, how has your art changed? Maybe we can start there…

Ai:
That's a good question. So, right before the pandemic, I was in New York. It was 2020 March, I just started my artist in residency period from February but I went back to Japan and spent my COVID time in Tokyo for one year and a half. And finally I came back to New York last summer. But with COVID, I was so productive. I was in my studio in Tokyo every day.

Robert:
Interesting - so become more productive because of lock downs — did your subject matter change at all due to pandemic?

Ai:
Yeah, but my subject originally was linked to disaster, like the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami. And so, I'm so influenced by from disaster matters. Covid is a sort of disaster.

Robert:
So, Ai, why are you so interested in disasters?

Ai:
Maybe after Tohoku Earthquake, I started thinking about how the world will be changed after earthquake. I don't know why I'm so interested in disasters, but I'm always thinking about natural disasters, as well as disasters caused by human technology such as nuclear accident.

Robert:
Some people think people are interested in what they call apocalypse porn.
Apocalypse pornography, like thinking about the apocalypse, because it's a way to externalize one's internal anxiety. People in contemporary society have  a lot of anxiety inside, but if they can't channel it outside in the form of earthquake or other disaster like fear of pandemic or terrorism or war, then the anxiety is outside of them. So, I don't know if that's similar to what you're thinking in your focus on disasters?

Ai:
I think it's similar. Yeah. That's my feeling.

Robert:
Do you have a lot of anxiety about pandemic or terrorism or earthquakes, or is it just something that's interesting to you?

Ai:
I'm also part of the human society but try to be an observer as an artist. I want to see the human society outside of normal everyday human society. Really curious about what happens next after a particular disaster.

Robert:
So, how do you then reflect that in your artwork? Because you never have any human shapes or any human forms in your work that I can see or are obvious.

Ai:
Actually I only create human and the landscape of human society in an abstract way in my painting. So while it doesn't look human forms and doesn't look landscape, but for my imagination, I always think about natural or organic forms. And I try to depict the situation in my painting, the disaster and what's happening now.

Robert:
You know that famous Japanese artist Murakami, obviously, right?  His entire artwork is a reflection of the Hiroshima atomic weapon. He's trying to do deal with that trauma. It's maybe an interesting, I don't know if it's a Japanese perspective in art or maybe just a modern situation.

Ai:
Yeah Murakami represents the situation directory in his painting, in the work. But my expression is abstract so it’s hard to appreciate what I'm trying to say in a painting. My painting is photorealistic and it has strong impact, but the image itself is abstract. I believe that the truth is always impressive but abstract, so I’d like to represent the real / unreal situation.

Robert:
It's funny that when you discuss the thinking behind apocalypse or disaster analysis in your work, it's funny because I think your paintings, I was looking at your website at the recent work, and it's always quite calming. There's a lot of repetitive mantra like imagery  in your pieces and even though you have the inorganic shapes, there's kind of like a mantra, like a mandala. It has a calming feel. So, I don't know what you think about that or if you're trying to calm the disaster or this anxiety.

Ai:
I'm depicting the landscape, the situation in my mind. For me, I’m really influenced my imagination when I look at the news, so my first time to create a disaster painting was, exactly when the Tohoku earthquake hit Japan. I was in Mexico at that time. I was traveling in Mexico I experienced the disaster via the news. There was no disaster in Mexico, but I look a news broadcast, and the news castor was speaking Spanish, and I didn't understand the Spanish at all, and I look at just the broadcasting images of Tsunami and exposure of nuclear disaster in Fukushima.

That was really a shock and visually shocking. So at the time, I decided to depict my visual image after the earthquake. So, that was my first time to think about disasters. It’s been over 10 years, and I keep doing it.

Robert:
Are you worried about the future? Do you think we're headed into a bigger disaster or less disaster?

Ai:
I'm worried about the future but am also optimistic because I believe human society yet. That also human society is really making mistakes many times but I'm still believing a better future.

Robert:
It's just funny, so maybe, that's why, when I look at your work, I never have a dark feeling. It doesn't feel like doom. It feels just neutral, maybe like you said observer, so I don't feel negative or positive, but just calm.

Ai:
I maybe try to calm down the disastrous situation in my painting. Like a prayer.
 I sometimes think that I have been trying to create a sort of Monolith in Space Odyssey in my art work. The metallic object doesn’t have a will but it knows everything in the human society, and tries to sound a warning toward us silently.

Robert:
Interesting - well maybe your spell is working on me - because when I engage with your work - it’s very calming - almost soothing. 
Jumping topics Tell me more about what are you doing again in New York? Why are you again in New York? Why did you return to New York?

Ai:
I want to get new opportunities in New York, because the Japanese art scene is limited. I aim to expand my field in the US.

Robert:
So how are you integrating into the New York art scene? What is your plan? I'm just curious.

Ai:
I’m networking  but its hard.. I have a new beautiful studio in Brooklyn, so I’m trying to invite people there as many as possible. Many shows are coming up this year. So I’m creating new paintings a lot.

Robert:
Is this a group show or solo?

Ai:
I have two solo shows and three group shows including museum shows this year. One of the solo show will be in New York this May. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I don't have painting stock right now because all of my works were sold out currently. Networking is my purpose coming to NY, but I don't have much time for that actually. I’m just creating artworks in the studio these days.

Robert:
Do you ever think about using an assistant or anything?

Ai:
Yeah, I need an assistant in NY for sure. I have assistants in Japan.

Robert:
Are there any new challenges you're having with your art?

Ai:
In the past I just created paintings. But I started creating video works and sculptures lately.

Robert:
So why are you expanding your medium?

Ai:
I’ve been thinking about the way how I can show my concept more narratively in my work, not only by painting. I’m exploring boundaries between natural and artificial, digital and physical, 2D and 3D.

This work for example, I asked a creator who is working for A.I. to create this video. He combined my old paintings and landscape in NY. It’s actually a site-specific work. I captured landscape from a gallery window every 30 minutes, then I ask the him to combine the stills with my 22 paintings. But this movie is basically created by A.I. This work aimed to represent a digital / physical boundary. I displayed this work in my solo show at the gallery last year.

Robert:
Do you know what's so crazy, Ai, about your work? I know you've never done psychedelics, right? Maybe my recommendation last time we met.

Ai:
Yeah. When you told me, I thought about that. Maybe naturally I do it in my work.

Robert:
Yeah, it's great. No, no pressure. It's just-

Ai:
Yeah. I don't have to think about that because my imagination is psychedelic somehow.

Robert:
Yeah. It's so psychedelic that you wonder if that's part of your natural wavelength maybe.
And then, what are the sculptures like? Are they similar?

Ai:
I used the sculpture for my video work. I directed a performance for my second video work. A man stood in front of sea, and he tried to wrap his body tightly. In the end of the performance, he became like an artificial life and gave a birth like an androgyne. I used the sculpture as an artificial baby.

Robert:
There's like a steampunk element.

Ai:
Yes, everybody told me that. I’m very inspired from Sci-Fi movies for my imagination.
I have a clear vision in the painting, but painting doesn't tell my thoughts enough. So, I started to try many media to represent that.

Robert:
Are you having more response to the painting still, or to the sculpture or video? The same? How are people responding to the new medium?

Ai:
Oh yeah, people find a similarity in the painting and the sculpture and video. Whatever I choose the medium, every works are related, and people appreciate that.

Robert:
Great. And then, which is selling the best? Painting still, or?

Ai:
Still painting, yeah. But also the video work as well.

Robert:
And do you have anything to share about your next project or more narrative work?

Ai:
I'm thinking to collaborate with people from different field to work with. Also, I started to create NFT art. I want to show my digital work in tandem with my physical painting.

Robert:
Cool. And are you happy in New York again?

Ai:
Really happy. Actually Japanese society doesn’t fit my personality. Because I have to care about the people behavior.

Robert:
I think it's easier to be a gaijin in Japan because you have to care so much about the other people's feelings, but maybe in New York you can just be more free.

Ai:
Yeah, I feel freedom. I can say anything I want to say in the US.
I think people in Japanese art field are not so open-mind. I don't feel good when I come to exhibition openings in Japan. They have kinda family circle and don't try to open their mind. On the other hand, I don't feel anything stressful at opening receptions in New York. People really welcoming me. I think that’s very important to grow the art communities.

Robert:
Good. I'm happy America still, maybe great for some people. Right. The culture is still more open than others, you know?

Ai:
Yeah.

Robert:
Even in Europe, I think it's more restrictive than the US.

Ai:
Yeah. I imagine that.

Robert:
I'm happy that you're happy in New York and that it's very interesting for your expanding work, the connections with different kind of disasters. Thanks for sharing your work with me.

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