IN CONVERSATION - Shinya Fujii
Shinya Fujii who resides in northern Japan answered my questions in Japanese with my friend Kazuhiko Kudo and they have been translated for me to share them here as part eight of my ‘In Conversation’ series.
Shinya Fujii at his exhibition launch in London
Do you think your practice has changed because of covid-19 and what have you been doing to keep yourself busy?
I do not go out on a daily basis and I have been working ceaselessly on my artwork activities, so there is no particular change for me.
I have taken this question from the talkart podcast that I like listening to… have you learnt any new skills during lockdown?
Fortunately, my lifestyle hasn't changed as a result of this event and it will not be affected at all.
Is there anything that you are currently missing doing that you are not able to do because of lockdown?
Nothing at all.
Shinya Fujii, Untitled (71), 2019
How does it feel when your work is exhibited and you see photographs of it?
I am very happy about that. And I am very grateful to my supporters for giving me the opportunity to present my artworks that I had never thought would be possible. I realise that step-by-step, I am approaching the ideal I envision. I would like to continue my creative activities, without stopping, forever.
What was it like when you came to England a few years ago to see your work exhibited in London for your first solo exhibition?
It was an event that has never happened in Japan - my work was never exhibited as art and then sold there. I feel like the perceptions of art in the UK and Japan are very different. I was very happy to see that many people took a serious look at my artworks.
Can you tell us about the themes and ideas that we see featured in your works?
First of all, the emotion that underlies my daily life is always helpless “anger” in myself. I listen to music and draw to suppress the "anger" that I have in myself. I feel most comfortable when I'm drawing. The inspiration from the Bali images and Buddhist art is incorporated into the work, to stabilize one's own spirit. What I want to find by continuing to draw is "what exactly is my role in my life?"
Shinya Fujii, Untitled (70), 2019