Before the opening of his latest exhibition in Hong Kong, we talk to Mr. about trauma, manga and Takashi Murakami
With its cast of big-eyed, childlike “kawaii” characters, Mr.’s art may appear playful and carefree—but there’s a darkness that lurks behind the 49-year-old Japanese artist’s paintings.
Mr. has titled his latest exhibition, which opens this week at Perrotin in Hong Kong, “People misunderstand me and the contents of my paintings. They just think they are nostalgic, cute, and look like Japanese anime. That may be true, but really, I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul. The said devil also resides in my blood, and I cannot escape from it no matter how I wish. So I paint in resignation.”
Before the exhibition opened, we caught up with Mr. to talk about art as a form of therapy, what he’s learned from Takashi Murakami and how the 2011 Fukushima earthquake affected him.
You say: “I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul.” How old were you when making art became a form of therapy?
I think it was around when I turned 45. Until then, I was intensely focused on establishing my own style and keeping project and exhibition deadlines; but as my work started to sell regularly, and I became more confident in my standing as an artist, I started asking myself bigger questions: Where did I come from, and why am I living the way I am now, why am I doing this work? And suddenly a huge well of uncertainty and anxiety opened up around me.
I came to the realization that I had busied myself in order to escape from basic aspects of my life that made me uneasy—my parents, siblings, relatives, and other people around me. And since I reached this understanding, the main incentive behind my artistic production became the relief from this spiral of doubt.